Waluigi the Master Thief
by MasterofHearts1313
Summary: Hey, I just love Waluigi, and I think he deserves his own game. This is my interpretation of what a game starring him would be like. Waluigi is going to be traveling around, stealing stuff from all over the world. Rated T to be safe.
1. Prologue

Prologue: Waluigi Time!

Waluigi laid on a hillside, chewing on a piece of grass. He had just come from the Mario Super Strikers tournament. He waved his hand as he stared at the setting sun. "Bah! Waluigi is sick of those cheaters!" He sat up and pounded the ground with his fist. "What do those losers have that Waluigi doesn't have?"

Waluigi flopped backwards again, closing his eyes. "That fatlard, Wario, and the hothead, Mario, even that pansy, Luigi, and the prissy Princess Peach! What the heck did they do to be better than Waluigi. Waluigi is number one, not those losers!" He pulled his cap down over his eyes. "They must be doing something to cheat."

"Actually, I think it's something more than that."

Waluigi sat up, startled. "Who's talking to Waluigi?"

A Boo poofed into existence next to the purple-clad plumber. He adjusted his large pair of glasses before offering his hand. "Hello, there. My name is Alboort."

Waluig stared at the Boo for a moment. "What is a Boo doing here?"

The Boo adjust his glasses again. "Indeed. Well, I just happened to be floating by, seeing how it is about night anyways, when I overheard you."

Waluigi frowned slightly. "And why would a Boo think Waluigi's problems are any of his business."

Alboort sighed. "Well, I would think the concept was obvious." He patted a laptop that he held. "You see, you are the antithesis of Luigi."

Waluigi pointed at the finger. "Hey, Waluigi doesn't know what an antithesis is, but let Waluigi tell ya, that little green punk just gets lucky. Waluigi could beat him blindfolded."

Alboort nodded. "And I would concur. You see, my race is the most opposed to the one called Luigi. Given how you are the opposite of Luigi, don't you think it would be natural that my kind would be attracted rather than opposed to you?"

Waluigi blinked twice. "So you and Waluigi both hate that stupid Luigi."

Alboort nodded and adjusted his glasses again. "That would be the case, but that's not the point right now." He flipped open his computer and tapped several keys. "You were just complaining about the other players defeating you in combat, but I can assure you that they were not cheating."

Waluig jabbed a finger at Alboort. "What do you mean that they weren't cheating? How else could those losers beat Waluigi?"

Alboort calmly pulled up a file on his computer. "Well, according to my research, you're the one most likely to cheat."

"You can't prove nothing!" Waluigi shouted, swinging his arms around.

Alboort held up a calming hand. "Patience, please." He tapped a couple more times on his keyboard. "Cheating has nothing to do with this. The others just have a natural advantage over you."

Waluigi scowled. "Nobody's better than Waluigi!"

Alboort adjusted his glasses. "Perhaps not, but they all do have something that you don't."

Waluigi raised an eyebrow. "And what is that?"

Alboort turned his laptop around and pointed to the screen. "You see, my research proves that all the other characters have participated in their own adventure. You, Mr. Waluigi, have not."

Waluigi held his chin as he looked at the screen. "Well, nerd-boy, you have a point."

Alboort frowned lightly. "I would prefer you called me Alboort, but I do have a solution for you: Go on your own adventure."

Waluigi blinked a couple times. "Well, Waluigi has been meaning to get out and do something for himself. Waluigi's sick of listening to Wario bragging about his treasure troves and everything."

Alboort smiled, his glasses glinting. "And that is what I was hooping you'd say." He held out his hand. "I have a proposition for you."

Waluigi eyed Alboort. "What sort of proposition?"

"A proposition that would benefit us both." Alboort shut his laptop. "You see, I have the technology and knowledge for a certain career, but I'm afraid I lack the skills."

"What career?" Waluigi was paying full attention now.

Alboort's face darkened with glee. "Thievery."

"Thievery?"

Alboort nodded. "You see, I don't see you as the sort to go and save a country like Mario, but thievery is very profitable."

Waluigi rubbed his chin. "Waluigi doesn't know. Isn't that kind of illegal?"

Alboort paused. "Depends. If you do it right, you could benefit with little negative consequence."

Waluigi took hold of the Boo's hand and shook it vigorously. "Sounds goods to Waluigi."

--

Okay, this is just my idea of what a game starring Waluigi would be like.

Alboort is like Alboort Einstein. He's the technological brains. Waluigi is clever, but I don't think he's one for strategy or patient calculation, so he would need a partner to do it for him.

This game concept is a lot like Sly Cooper. It will star various places and characters. There will also be plenty of Comic Mischief. I hope you readers enjoy.

Please review and tell me what you think. This story will get better, but it may be a while before I update. Later.


	2. Chapter 1 part 1

As a note before this chapter starts, I will remind people that this story is going to be very game-like, so some of the conversation will be based on gameplay, like buttons from the Wii remote being mentioned to operate certain commands. I hope this won't annoy to many people, and it shouldn't last too long. It was just a heads-up. Okay, you may continue.

---

Chapter 1.1: Practice Makes Perfect

Waluigi drove the van down the street. "What the heck are we doing?"

Alboort looked up from the computer installed in the back of the van. "According to my GPS, we should be approaching our first thieving target." He tapped a couple keys and adjusted his glasses. "We should be there any second."

Waluigi stared out the window. "What do you mean? Waluigi doesn't see anything on this street."

"Just hold on." Alboort stared at the screen. "It's coming up."

Waluigi sighed. "The only thing Waluigi sees coming up is this big factory-looking place." He squinted and looked at the large sign on the other side of the street. "WarioWare Inc.?" He paused and stomped on the brakes, almost pushing them out of the van's floor.

Alboort lurched forward, holding his arms out so as not to crash into his computers. "What was that for?"

Waluigi turned in his seat and looked back at Alboort. "What do you mean that we're breaking into WarioWare?"

Alboort balanced himself, adjusting his glasses and tightening his bowtie. "Well, it's a very successful corporation, so there's plenty of money to extract."

Waluigi held his chin and grinned. "That certainly sounds good."

Alboort grinned smartly. "And the chance to recruit Wario into our forces is a plus."

Walugi's eyes grew wide and he shook one hand viciously. "No way, buster. You're crazy if you think Waluigi is going to let that Fatlard join. He'd try to steal the spotlight from Waluigi."

Alboort looked back at Waluigi. "Well, we're going to need someone to do heavy lifting. It's not like everything we steal is going to be coins and jewelry."

Waluigi snarled. "Waluigi doesn't care! Fatlard isn't joining the team."

Alboort sighed. "Fine, we can talk about this later. For now, let's just get to our hideout."

Waluigi paused. "Hideout? What hideout?"

Alboort smiled, and his glasses glinted. "Well, being a Boo, I belong to a community that can always find accommodations."

Waluigi raised an eyebrow. "What? You mean to tell Waluigi that you're going to scare people out of their houses?"

Alboort's glasses fell down his face slightly. "Well, no. I just meant that I have a friend who owns a house here in Diamond City that we can use."

"Oh." Waluigi turned and took hold of the steering wheel. "So where is this place?"

Alboort returned to his computer. "It should be just on the outskirts of town. You can't miss it."

Waluigi sped forward slowly. After about fifteen minutes, a dark house with half-dead trees and a darker sky appeared on the side of the road.

Waluigi gestured to the house. "Say, is this our place?"

Alboort looked out of the window. "No, I'll have to check who lives there." He pointed down the street. "We're in that quaint little country house down there."

Waluigi looked ahead at a white house with little rosebushes lining the path to the house. "Figures that such a light-hearted house should be next door to a haunted mansion."

Alboort nodded. "Yes, it's a bed and breakfast." He returned to his computer. "Now, hurry up and park, you have a big night ahead of you."

---

That night, Waluigi stalked out of the house. He pulled a device that looked like a cell phone out of his pocket. He flipped the top up to see Alboort appear on the screen. "Okay, so what is Waluigi supposed to be doing?"

Alboort looked towards Waluigi. He tapped a couple times on his keyboard. "Well, just because you're a thief now doesn't mean that you know everything about thieving. Tonight, we're just going to make sure you know what you're doing, at least."

Waluigi raised an eyebrow. "Really? What does Waluigi need to know?"

Alboort stared at a different computer screen for a minute. "How about we start with the basics? See the house we're staying in?"

Waluigi looked up at the white house. "Yeah. What about it?"

"Well, how about you try jumping to the roof?"

Waluigi grabbed his chin in thought. "Waluigi doesn't know. It seems kinda high."

Alboort grinned. "That shouldn't be too much of a problem for you. My analysis of your physicality shows that you have a unique ability amongst most characters. Whereas your typical character can only use a double jump, you can actually triple jump. Press the A button once to jump in the air. Press the A button again, while in midair, to preform a double jump, then press another time for the triple jump."

Waluigi looked back at the house. "Okay. Waluigi will give it a try." He shut the phone and bent his knees. He bounced up once, then again, and again. On the third jump, he found his feet landing firmly on the roof. "Well, look at that." He flipped the phone open again. "That was easy. Give Waluigi something harder."

Alboort nodded. "Well, whereas height is good and all, you may need distance more in some cases." He moved his mouse a little. "After you finish a jump, keep the A button held down to swim through the air. I've noticed you used to use this skill in sports, so I think this could be beneficial in thieving as well."

Waluigi smirked. "Oh, that's totally easy."

Alboort smirked back. "Really? You see that house across the street?"

Waluigi stared into the night. "You mean that blue one?"

Alboort nodded. "Let's see you swim your way there."

Walugi nodded and shut the phone. He leapt up a couple times before scooping his hands forward and breast-stroking his way about twenty feet over the street. He grabbed onto the roof's edge and pulled himself up. He pulled out the phone and grinned. "How was that?"

"Just about perfect. You may need a little bit more practice, but you're learning very well." Alboort gestured to Waluigi's right. "You see that power line over there?"

Waluigi raise an eyebrow. "What about it?"

"I want you to try running along it."

"What! Are you crazy! Waluigi can't do that!"

Alboort held his hands up defensively. "Hold on a minute, all right?" He tapped a couple times on his computer. "You see, Waluigi, your unique physical structure will actually allow you to be supported by the wire. Just press the A button to jump, then press the C button to land on the wire."

Waluigi looked between the cell phone and the wire. "Are you sure about this?"

Alboort nodded. "Just be sure not to lose your balance while running."

Waluigi grunted and shut the phone. He examined the wire one last time before jumping onto it. He landed softer than he expected on the wire. Grinning, he bounced the wire a couple times without losing his balance in this least. He laughed as he ran down the line. "This is easy!"

The phone vibrated silently, and Waluigi answered it. Alboort appeared on the screen and smiled. "I suppose everything's going all right, seeing how you are still conscious enough to answer the phone."

Waluigi smirked. "Waluigi would have loved to have known he could do this before."

"Well, you know now." Alboort turned back to a different computer. "There should be a tree close to your location."

Waluigi looked around until he saw a tree which would have just skimmed the power line about fifteen feet away. "What about it?"

Alboort tapped a couple keys on his computer. "I need you to jump down to the ground. I'll give you further instruction at that time."

Waluigi nimbly hopped off the line and landed on his feet. "Okay, now what?"

Alboort pointed to Waluigi. "Being a thief, you'll want to keep out of sight. Approach that tree and press and hold the C button to hide behind it."

Waluigi took a firm grip on the phone. He walked up to the tree and placed his back to it. His thin body practically melted into the shadows.

Alboort nodded. "Very good. You may want to keep an eye out. Anything that inspires your Thieving Intuition, that's anywhere that you'll see a faint purple glow, you can interact with by pressing the C button."

Waluigi nodded in the tree's shadow. "Sounds good to Waluigi." He stepped away from the tree. "Now what?"

Alboort looked up from his keyboard and adjusted his glasses. "Well, I propose that you make your way back to the hideout. If you're having trouble finding your way back, look through your Thieftech. There will be a holographic marker with your symbol on it floating over the hideout of any other destination point. You activate the Thieftech by pressing the 1 button." The screen went blank.

Waluigi placed the Thieftech over his eye and attached the other end to his temple. He looked around until he saw a little purple mark with his mustache on it in the air. He walked forward until he came to the roadside.

Alboort's audio came over the Thieftech. "I almost forgot. You may want to travel faster than just sneaking around. Shake the Wii Remote while moving the control stick to start running. Be careful when using this, though. Running may attract unwanted attention."

Waluigi nodded. "Okay, so it probably would be best to use running when Walugi is in an open area. Sneaking is good when I decide to go in town."

"Right. But just focus on returning to the hideout for now."

"Gotcha." Waluigi looked both ways and ran across the street. He turned to the purple marker and started running in that direction. He soon saw the hideout but stopped. "Hey, Alboort, who's the guy in front of the hideout?"

"Hm? Oh, that's Trainer-bot. He's going to help in your training."

Waluigi looked over at Trainer-bot. "It's an oversized wind-up toy."

Alboort sighed. "Well, putting it simply, yes. But that's not important. Listen, as a thief, it's very likely that you'll encounter some guards. This means that you may need to get dirty at times."

Waluigi grinned. "So, Waluigi's going to have to smack down a couple of losers?"

"Yes. Let's start with something simple. Just walk up to Trainer-bot and press the B button to attack."

Waluigi walked up to the robot and kicked it several times before it could shoot him. The toy crumbled to pieces. "Too easy."

"Really? Then let's try something a little harder." A new Trainer-bot walked out of the hideout and looked away from Waluigi. "Try sneaking up on the Trainer-bot and press the Z button to launch it into the air. You can then continue to press the Z button to juggle the enemy, or you can press the B button to slam your foe to the ground."

Walugi grinned. "Sounds interesting."

"Then lets see you give it a shot. Remember, you have to sneak up on him."

Walugi nodded and slunk his way over to the machine. He pulled his leg back and sent the toy flying. He kicked it around like a hackey sack a couple times before swinging his foot so that he caught the Trainer-bot on his heel and slammed it into the ground. "How's that for you?"

"Impressive. Now let's try some more complex maneuvers." Another Trainer-bot waltzed out of the hideout. "Try jumping into the air and pressing the B button over that Trainer-bot."

Waluigi looked over at the harmless-looking machine. "What'll that do?"

"It's your Earthquake Stomp attack. If you do it in an area with a lot of enemies, you can cause them to lose their balance. But if you only have one opponent, it's most advantageous to stomp on its head. Try it to see what it does."

Waluigi smirked. "All right, buster." He ran over and jumped. As he came down, he pointed his feet straight to the ground and fell like a purple meteor. The Trainer-bot sunk into the ground and was stuck in place, crumpled. Waluigi looked at it. "Wow, now that's Waluigi power!"

"Yes, you seem to counter Wario's upper body strength with legs that could possibly strip the side off a tank. Such powerful legs are rare, but are probably the best things for battle. Also, while an enemy is stuck in the ground, you can attack them multiple times without fear of a counterattack." Alboort paused for Waluigi to finish off the machine. "Of course, not all your enemies will be so easy." A Trainer-bot with a propeller on its head flew out of the second story window.

Waluigi looked up at the flying toy. "Waluigi's not sure he could stomp a critter that high up."

"No, it would be too hard to calculate when to stomp, even if it was flying low enough. In this case, you need to press the Z button while in the air to preform Whirl-Luigi."

Waluigi nodded and grinned. "Oh, right. Whirl-Luigi lets Waluigi spin around at speeds that can create actual hurricanes. On top of the powerful hit, it lets him fly a little longer and higher."

"Sounds impressive, but let's see it in action. Try taking down that Propeller-bot."

Waluigi grinned as he jumped into the air. When he found himself level with the Propeller-bot, he span his body and tore the machine to shreds with the gales."

"I've been going to easy on you," Alboort told Waluigi as the thief landed. He tapped a couple times on his keyboard, and a giant clank was heard. A taller Trainer-bot with heavy armor and a large gun walked around the corner of the house.

Waluigi's eyes grew wide. "What the heck is Waluigi supposed to do with that?" He paused. "Wait, if we had this guy already, why would we need to recruit Wario or some other heavy-lifter?"

"Oh, don't be fooled. Blast-bot was only designed to be strong enough to walk around with his armor and gun. He can't even run or lift anything heavier than his gun. Now, you can't always fight face-to-face, so it's not a bad idea to run away from your enemies. I'm going to have Blast-bot attack you, and you're going to have to run away from him by shaking the Wii Remote."

Waluigi nodded. "Okay. Wait! What!?!"

Alboort snickered. "Ready? Set. Go!"

Blast-bot turned to Waluigi and held its gun up to its eye. Waluigi screamed as he dashed away from the laser shots. The only place he could run to was the dead forest in the neighbor's yard.

When Waluigi finally ran into the path up to the Haunted Mansion, Alboort called over the Thieftech. "Okay, you've successfully ran away from Blast-bot, and I've deactivated him."

Waluigi waved his arms around in the air, enraged. "What was the big idea! You tried to kill Waluigi!"

Alboort laughed nervously. "Calm down. You're just fine. Now, there's just one part of your training."

"It better not include anymore attempts to kill Waluigi."

"It really shouldn't all you have to do is take a picture."

Waluigi paused. "What does taking pictures have to do with thieving?"

"A lot! They help gather useful information and are invaluable in making plans." Alboort cleared his throat. "Now, you just have to use your thieving skills to go up to the house, find a window from which you can see the target of the photograph and press the 1 button to activate your Thieftech."

Waluigi nodded. He jumped up and landed on a tree branch. He kept jumping from tree branch to tree branch until he was next to the house. He looked through a window. "What exactly am I looking for?"

"A young girl lives in that mansion. She's a high school student, so it shouldn't be so late that she's in bed. She tends to have a nocturnal existence anyways."

Waluigi nodded. He peeked through each window until he saw one with a faint glow. A girl and what looked to Waluigi like a little red animal with horns were standing over a cauldron. Waluigi placed the Thieftech over his eye.

"Good. While the Thieftech is activated, you can use the control stick to angle, the B button to zoom in, and the Z button to zoom out. Press the Z or C button to take a picture."

Waluigi zoomed in and waited until the girl was talking to animal. He snapped a picture and slowly dodged away from the window. "Who is this girl anyway?"

"Her name's Ashley. I'll brief you more on her later. Just come back to the hideout. You've earned yourself a good night's rest."

Waluigi yawned lightly. "Waluigi's used to staying up late, but today has been a little tiring for him." He climbed up a tree and bounced his way over to the country house that was his hideout. Just before stepping up to the porch, he froze. "What the heck is Blast-bot doing in front of the door? Waluigi thought you said you deactivated it!"

Alboort chuckled. "Oh, calm down. He's deactivated. This is just one final lesson. As a thief, you need your fair share of gadgets. You can equip a gadget on the gadget menu, then use it on the field with the 2 button."

Waluigi grumbled as he reached into his pack. He soon fished out... "A tennis racket!?!"

"Not just any tennis racket. I've modified it," Alboort corrected. "It's been calibrated at a particular angle so as to displace your enemy at a specified trajectory."

"Just spit it out in plain English, nerd-boy!"

Alboort sighed. "Just hit someone with it, and the tennis racket will send them flying in a daze. They'll get up soon after they land, but it gives you a few seconds to use for your own."

Waluigi nodded and slapped Blast-bot to one side of the porch. He walked through the door and fell to sleep on the couch.

---

Okay, yeah, this chapter was kind of long. Most of them will be of similar length. Hopefully, I won't use so many control references in the future, but there are going to be other characters and certain events, so look out.

By the way, chapter will be labeled 1.1, 1.2, etcetera, meaning location 1, job #. This is due to multiple jobs being pulled in the same area.

I hope you enjoy, and please review.


	3. Chapter 1 part 2

Chapter 1.2: Tour Diamond City

Waluigi walked out of the country house and jumped onto the roof. He pulled put the Thieftech and placed it next to his ear. "Hey, Alboort. Waluigi might just be confused, but don't thieves work at night?"

Alboort nodded. "Ordinarily, yes, but this job needs to be done during the day. I need you to take pictures of the staff of WarioWare Inc.. Now, it might look suspicious to the people of Diamond City if they saw you randomly taking pictures, so I emphasize that you need to keep out of sight."

"Gotcha." Waluigi looked around. "But Waluigi doesn't know who Fatlard's employees are."

"Easy enough." Alboort tapped a couple keys. "Just press the 1 button to activate your Thieftech and look around. A destination marker should appear over your first objective."

"Got it." Waluigi placed the Thieftech over his eye and looked around. "Okay, Waluigi sees it."

"Okay, head over there now. Here's a tip: stay on wires and rooftops to keep out of sight. Most people don't look up there." Alboort adjusted his glasses. "And be sure to avoid the streets as much as possible. The Diamond Police are crazy."

"Got it. Talk to you later, Alboort." Waluigi looked through the Thieftech again. He ran over and started running along electric wires. He hopped over a couple rooftops until he had to look straight up to see the marker. He tapped a button on the Thieftech. "Okay. Waluigi's here."

"Good. Now, get down and look through the window. Your first target should be in there. Remember, press the 1 button to activate the Thieftech and either the A or C button to take a picture."

"Okay." Waluigi walked over to the side of the house and hopped down. He slunk over to the window and peeked inside. "There's a problem, Alboort."

"What could be a problem? You didn't get caught already, did you?"

Waluigi scowled. "No. Waluigi just sees two guys in there."

"Oh. I guess I should have told you there would be. Just take a picture of both." Alboort readjusted his glasses. "And by that, I mean a photo of each."

Waluigi rolled his eyes. "Yeah. Yeah. Whatever." He placed the Thieftech over his eye and zoomed in on the smaller boy. He snapped a picture and moved quickly out of the window's sight.

Alboort spoke through the Thieftech. "Okay, I just received the picture you took. This boy is 9-volt."

Waluigi raised an eyebrow. "9-volt? Isn't that some sort of battery?"

"Well, yes, but this 9-volt is one of Wario's employees."

Waluigi raised his other eyebrow. "Isn't this kid a little young to be working?"

"Not for a video game company, he's not." Alboort clicked on his mouse. "You see, 9-volt is the complete incarnation of a Nintendo fan. He owns every console and every game that Nintendo ever made."

"What? His parents actually let him get the Metal Gear series?"  
Alboort hesitated. "Well, I didn't say he played all the games, but if something's Nintendo, he'll know all about it." He tapped a couple keys. "Now, get a picture of 18-volt."

Waluigi nodded as he walked back to the window. He zoomed in on the bigger guy with the Thieftech and snapped another picture. This time, he jumped back onto the roof. "Okay, now why's this big guy hanging out with the kid?"

Alboort clicked on his mouse again. "This is 18-volt. Don't let his size fool you. He's in the same grade as 9-volt and is his best friend. He typically carries a boom box around wherever he goes, but he'll also play video games with 9-volt." He looked at Waluigi. "His large size could help with our little thieving enterprise."

Waluigi frowned. "No way, Nerd-boy. That guy looks like a complete dork in that lime green jumpsuit."

Alboort sighed. "Well, there are still other employees of WarioWare." He paused and looked at a different computer screen. "Speaking of which, there's one coming up the road. She should be on a scooter, so be sure you take her picture quickly."

Waluigi nodded and placed the Thieftech over his eye. He looked over at the road to see a redhead girl zooming down the street.

While Waluigi was aiming, Alboort called back. "By the way, Waluigi. Speaking of 9-volt's Nintendo games, I noticed that you only appeared in Mario Parties and Mario sports games."

Waluigi frowned, having trouble zooming in. "What about it?"

"Well, I just thought you would have at least tried to get your own game. At least starring in a sport or something."

Waluigi scratched his chin lightly. "Well, Waluigi did once suggest the idea of Waluigi Beach Volleyball."

"What!?!"

Waluigi flailed slightly to keep himself on the roof. When he stood back up, he scowled. "What's the problem?"

"You mean to tell me that you tried to star in the first T-rated Mario game?"

Waluigi sighed as he found the redhead had stopped at a red light. "Well, Waluigi doesn't know about a T rating, but he doesn't think that was the issue. The Mario guys just don't tend to look as good as Waluigi in a swimsuit." He zoomed in and snapped a picture of the redhead. "This chick would probably look pretty good in a swimsuit, though."

Alboort sighed. "I wouldn't try it, if I were you. That's Mona."

Waluigi looked at Alboort. "What's so special about her?"

"She's one of Wario's leading workers. She also works part-time at almost half of the fast food restaurants in Diamond City, and she's still in high school."

Waluigi shuddered. "That makes Waluigi tired just thinking about it."

Alboort nodded. "And it's not likely we'd get her to leave Wario, either. She seems to have a natural loyalty to him."

Waluigi sneered. "Fine, forget the girl. Who's next?"

"Funny you should ask. They shouldn't be too far from your position." Alboort clicked a couple times on his mouse. "By the way, I have a new trick for you."

Waluigi grinned. "Give it to Waluigi."

"Okay." Alboort adjusted his glasses. "When a car passes by, jump off the roof with A and land on top of the car by pressing the C button."

Waluigi looked between the cars and the Thieftech. "Wait. Waluigi thought you said to stay off the roads."

Alboort smiled. "Then make sure you land on a car that's going the speed limit."

Waluigi grinned back. "Okay, but what is Waluigi looking for by jumping onto a car?"

"Just keep you eye out for a taxi. Just jump between cars so you can get closer."

Waluigi nodded and hung up. He looked down and hopped onto a car. After several minutes, he hopped onto another. He looked from left to right. "Okay, Waluigi sees the cab."

Alboort blipped onto the screen. "All right. Now, jump onto the car just ahead of it. I need you to catch a picture of both drivers as quickly as possible. People might see you if you take too long."

"Okay, Waluigi better hurry, then. That cab's coming up pretty quick." He hung up the Thieftech and quickly jumped across several cars until he was right in front of the cab. He held the Thieftech up to his eye, took the picture, and jumped off of the car and onto the sidewalk. "Okay, got it."

Alboort nodded. "Good job. These two are Dribble and Spitz."

Waluigi paused, and his eyes grew wide. "Wait a minute! Why are a dog and a cat driving a taxi?"

Alboort smirked as he adjusted his glasses. "You play sports with turtles and mushrooms almost once a week, and you have issues with a pair of animals driving a vehicle?"

Waluigi rubbed the back of his head. "Not so much, now."

Alboort shook his head. "Anyways, Dribble and Spitz are the leading cabbies in Diamond City. They work as a team. Dribble drives and is the muscle in the operation. Spitz is pretty small, but his intelligence is decent." He smiled. "We could always recruit them."

Waluigi rubbed his chin. "Maybe, but Waluigi already drives the van."

Alboort sighed. "Very well. Start heading to the grade school. They should be in session by now." He tapped a couple times on his keyboard. "Use your Thieftech if you having trouble finding it."

Waluigi nodded as he placed the Thieftech over his eye. After checking his position, he ran over and jumped onto a car. Several minutes later, he jumped off. He looked up at the school and flipped open the Thieftech. "Now, why is Waluigi here? Waluigi already got a picture of a couple of grade schoolers."

Alboort adjusted his glasses. "Yes, but we're here for the kindergarten class."

Waluigi raised an eyebrow. "Kindergartners? Wario's actually stooped that low?"

Alboort shook his head. "Just look in windows until you see a couple of girls with pink and blue hair."

Waluigi rolled his eyes and started looking through windows. He soon found the kindergarten class and used his Thieftech to take a picture of two of the girls in the front. He jumped onto the roof of the school and looked at Alboort on the screen. "Now, what's up with the little girls?"

"There's more than meets the eye with these two. Kat and Ana are twin ninjas."

Waluigi's eyes nearly popped out of his head. "Ninja's?!?"

Alboort nodded. "Ana might be a bit of a coward, but these two are expert fighters. Working together, they can accomplish many feats that would seem impossible on their own."

Waluigi shook his head. "Waluigi doesn't know. Don't ninjas usually have to stick to some sort of honor code?"

Alboort nodded. "True. And they're pretty young to get involved in crime." He tapped a couple of times on his keyboard. "The only other ones who might be harder to recruit would be Young Cricket and Master Mantis. They're both the most noble and the most powerful martial artists in Diamond City. They're off traveling the world, anyways."

Waluigi sighed. "This ain't getting us nowhere. What's the next destination?"

Alboort clicked on his mouse. "Look through you Thieftech real quick."

Waluigi looked up through the Thieftech. "What's this about? That place is in the middle of the ocean!"

Alboort smirked. "That shouldn't be too hard for someone who can swim through the air."

"Waluigi doesn't know. That's pretty far out, and how is he supposed to get back onto the mainland?"

Alboort raised his hands defensively. "Don't worry. I'll figure something out when you get there."

Waluigi sighed as he hung up the Thieftech. He started running along rooftops and electric wires until he arrived at the shore. He held up the Thieftech. "Okay, nerd-boy, now what?"

Alboort stared at a computer screen and adjusted his glasses. "You see that boat?"

Waluigi looked up. "You're point is?"

"You can use it to get out to that island and back." Alboort clicked his mouse a couple times. "You can use the C button to grab onto the mast. You're going to need a relatively high point to climb on, though."

Waluigi looked up at the lighthouse. "That can be accomplished."

Alboort raised an eyebrow. "Okay, remember to use the C button if you see anything you can interact with."

Waluigi nodded. He ran over and started climbing up by grabbing ledges. When he was close to the top, he jumped off and swam out to the boat. He grabbed onto the mast and climbed up to the top. He looked out and jumped out, swimming the rest of the way. He landed softly on the island's sand. He looked up at the large building and flipped open the Thieftech. "What is this place?"

"This is Crygor's laboratory. Try finding a possible window to look inside." Alboort clicked on his mouse. "There should be one about ten feet above you."

Waluigi looked up. He jumped up and grabbed a ledge. He flipped his way up and grabbed onto the window. He flipped the Thieftech open and placed it over his eye. "Okay, what is Waluigi looking for?"

"Try getting a picture of Dr. Crygor, first. He should be the man who looks like he's wearing a retro costume from a space-based television series."

Waluigi surveyed the inside and zoomed in. He soon found the described man and snapped a picture. "Man, this guy looks like a total geek."

"That's Dr. Crygor. He's the local mad scientist. Not only is he a cyborg, he once fused himself with an apple."

Waluigi raised an eyebrow. "What a loser! We are definitely not roping him in!"

Alboort nodded. "We don't need someone like him, anyways. Try looking for the robot."

Waluigi turned back to the window and zoomed in on a blue robot. He snapped the picture and shrugged. "Well, I admit that a robot might be handy, but he doesn't look too special."

"No kidding. I could build something better than him even on a bad day." Alboort tapped a couple keys. "Dr. Crygor mostly made him for use as a janitor. He also has a tendency for karaoke."

Waluigi shuddered. "No way is that guy joining us, buster. He'd annoy the brains out of Waluigi."

"Quite true. And seeing how we're not likely to use a hideout for more than a couple days, we have no need for a janitor." Alboort scanned a computer screen. "There should be someone else there. Look around and get their picture, too."

Waluigi sighed as he turned back to the window. He looked around for a little bit until he saw a young redhead. He clicked the photo button and leaned back. "Okay, this the person?"

Alboort stared at the screen. "Yeah, that's Penny Crygor. She's Dr. Crygor's granddaughter, and she plans on growing up to be like her grandfather."

Waluigi grimaced. "What's she gonna do? Fuse herself with a strawberry?"

"Ha ha ha, very funny." Alboort scanned a file on his computer. "Actually, she's already proved herself to be smarter than her grandfather, so she shows promise. However, I already supply enough brainpower for our team, so she's unnecessary." He paused to look at the screen. "Look, I need you to get back to WarioWare Inc.. That's where the rest of the employees are."

Waluigi sighed as he looked back at the boat. "Why couldn't they all have been there in the first place?"

Alboort shrugged. "Most of them do go to school or have other jobs."

Waluigi shook his head. "Alright, Waluigi will go there." He flipped the Thieftech shut and jumped higher up the lab. When he reached the roof, he turned to look back at the mainland. He jumped out and swam through the air to one of the boats. He swam from the boat to shore. He quickly jumped onto a rooftop and ran along until he reached WarioWare Inc.. He flipped open his Thieftech and looked up the building. "So what is Waluigi going to do?"

Alboort tapped on his keyboard a couple minutes. "Well, why not just go through the front door?"

Waluigi raised an eyebrow. "Won't Waluigi get caught like that?"

"Don't worry. That's the point."

"What!"

Alboort adjusted his glasses. "Listen, if all you did was sneak around, then Wario might start asking questions. Talking to him before we do anything, we throw suspicion off of us."

Waluigi gagged slightly. "Okay, but Waluigi doesn't want to be stuck in there too long."

Alboort nodded. "On your way up to the big office, you'll need to take pictures of two other employees."

"And who are those?"

Alboort clicked on his mouse. "You'll know them when you see them."

Waluigi nodded as he walked through the front door of WarioWare. He walked around until he found a staircase. On the next floor, he noticed several office doors and started looking through them. He soon saw a white thing sitting at one of the desks. He lifted his Thieftech and quickly took a picture. "What the heck is that thing?"

"That 'thing' is Orbulon." Alboort scanned his computer screen. "He's an alien who crash-landed in Diamond City. His specialty is IQ games."  
"IQ games?"

Alboort nodded. "Orbulon's a lot smarter than he looks. If we have to go against him, I should probably lead."

Waluigi laughed. "What, are you two going to be playing some nerdy RPG board game against each other?"

Alboort frowned. "Don't take Orbulon lightly. He originally planned on taking over the world."

Waluigi waved his hand flippantly. "Yeah, yeah. Whatever." He walked over and climbed the next flight of stairs. He looked through the doors until he saw a man with huge blue hair dancing on some sort of disco floor.

Waluigi slapped a hand over his eyes. "Gah! Waluigi is never going to be able to unsee that!"

Alboort started waving his hands frantically. "What is it? Take a picture and let me see."

Waluigi slowly moved the camera towards the door and took a picture.

Alboort tapped a couple times on his keyboard. "Oh, that's Jimmy T.. He's not much of a threat. He mostly just dances. I'm not even sure if he makes any microgames."

"So, is he important or not?"

Alboort shook his head. "No. Just continue up to the next floor and get a picture of Wario."

Waluigi nodded as he ran away from Jimmy T.'s room and up the next flight of stairs. After reaching the top, he walked up to Wario's office door, held the Thieftech up, and took a picture of the fat business man.

Alboort nodded as he appeared on the screen again. "There he is. The big man himself. I'm sure you know plenty about Wario, seeing how you seem to have a past."

Waluigi sneered. "Yeah, Waluigi has a past with Fatlard."  
Alboort adjusted his glasses. "Listen, I know this might seem awkward, but I need you to go in and talk to him."

Waluigi raised an eyebrow. "And why would Waluigi do that?"

"Like I said before. We want Wario to know we're here. It may jeopardize the mission, but it would be better than leaving him suspicious."

Waluigi sighed. "Fine." He shut the Thieftech and looked at the door. He pushed it open and walked in. "Hey, Fatlard!"

Wario flailed in his seat, grabbing onto the desk to prevent his fall. He looked up and laughed. "Well, if it isn't the good old Beanpole. What's going on, Waluigi?"

Waluigi grinned. "Not much. Waluigi just happened to be in town." He leaned on Wario's desk. "So, why did Waluigi never get to know about this place?"

Wario laughed. "You never asked, Beanpole. Besides, this is my company. Heck! It's practically my city. If you ask anyone who the mayor is, they'll all mention me before the real mayor." He pulled a clove of garlic from a plastic bag and swallowed it whole."

Waluigi's mustache twitched. "Oh yeah? Well, you better watch out. Remember, Waluigi is number one!"

Wario smirked. "We'll just see about that. You want to be number one, you gotta earn it, Beanpole!" He pulled a fat wad of dollar bills and thumbed through them. "And this cash says you ain't number one."

Waluigi sneered. "You'll see. Waluigi is number one!"

"Yeah. Yeah." Wario waved him off. "Go on now. It's 'bout time for dinner, and I wasn't expecting no company."

Waluigi walked over to the door. "Bah! See you, Fatlard."

Wario laughed, waving the money tauntingly. "Good-bye, String Bean."

Waluigi slammed the door on his way out. He walked all the way down the stairs and left through the door. He flipped the Thieftech open. "Okay, I talked to Fatlard."

Alboort nodded. "Just head back to the hideout. Your tour of Diamond City took longer than I expected."

Waluigi nodded. "Waluigi's getting pretty tired, too. He's not used to this much running around unless it's a game of soccer or basketball."

Alboort adjusted his glasses. "You just need to make one more stop before coming back."

"What's that?"

Alboort tapped a couple times on his keyboard. "Just get another picture of Ashley. I need to confirm her identity."

Waluigi nodded. "Fine." He clicked his Thieftech off and looked back to the outskirts. He jumped onto a nearby roof and started running across lines and roofs until he approached the country house. Nagging to himself, he went over to the haunted mansion next door and crept up to one of the windows. He looked through until he found the young girl. He raised his Thieftech up and took a picture. He pulled back into the forest and opened the Thieftech. "Okay, now what exactly is up with this Ashley character?"

Alboort clicked his mouse a couple times and adjusted his glasses. "Well, Ashley is the last member of Wario's staff, though I don't know how she puts up with them. She's a witch-in-training, with Red as her assistant."

Waluigi grabbed his chin. "Witch, huh? What kind of magic does she do?"

Alboort tapped a couple keys. "She does some pretty basic magic. She has a preference for potions, but she's been known to use other types of spells. Magic also seems to be the only thing she cares about."

Waluigi grinned. "Does she know any spells to levitate stuff?"

Alboort sighed. "I was afraid you were going to ask that." He scanned his screen. "On top of being virtually emotionless, Ashley is very hard to impress. At WarioWare, she has a reputation for being number one."

Waluigi stomped heavily. "No, Waluigi is number one!"

Alboort raised an eyebrow. "You're going to have to prove that to her by beating all the rest of the employees at their own games."

"Doesn't sound too hard."

Alboort sighed. "Just get back to the hideout. We have a lot to plan."

Waluigi nodded. He stepped forward, when something rustled under his foot. He looked down and picked up a piece of paper. It had the WarioWare logo in the bottom right corner. "Well, this is weird."

"What?"

Waluigi held the paper up to the on-screen Alboort.

"Hm." Alboort scratched his chin. "I think this might be a clue to open Wario's safe."

"What would something like that be doing all the way out here?"

Alboort adjusted his glasses. "Well, Wario hasn't proved himself to be the smartest person around. He probably lost it somewhere, and it got blown over here. Listen, just bring it back to the hideout, so I can study it. Also, keep an eye out on missions in case you come across anymore clues."

Waluigi nodded. "See you in a few minutes, Alboort."

---

Okay, that was long. I'll admit, it might have seemed repetitive, but I thought this was an important step in the thieving process.

Anyways, I'm pretty sure I got all the WarioWare employees, but anyone could correct me if I'm wrong. Other WarioWare characters may also appear, so you keep an eye out like Waluigi.

Please enjoy and review.


	4. Chapter 1 part 3

Chapter 1.3: Glitch in the System

Alboort stood behind an old-fashioned projector. He started clicking through slides. "Okay, between your pictures and my research, I've come up with how to defeat some of our opponents." He clicked the projector's button a couple times. "Mona, Dribble, and Spitz will be a little difficult to catch, so I'll need a bit more time to figure out how to beat them." He clicked again, and a white alien showed up on the screen. "Orbulon rarely leaves WarioWare Inc., so he might not be the best to target yet."

Waluigi almost nodded himself to sleep. "So, who is Waluigi going to have to beat?"

Alboort adjusted his glasses and clicked the button again. "Well, given their wide available hours and easy access, I think we can get 9-volt, Kat and Ana, and Dr. Crygor."

Waluigi turned back to Alboort and raised an eyebrow. "So, what's the plan? Waluigi wants to get to work."

Alboort held his hands up. "Just hold on a minute." He clicked the projector again. "Now, we're going in with little training and want to get this done quickly, so we're going to have to cheat."

Waluigi held his chin and grinned. "Waluigi likes that idea."

"I thought you might." The picture changed to one of a boy in a red shirt and yellow helmet. "Now, I'll have you go up against 9-volt. Meanwhile, I'll infect his system and make sure he can't win." The picture changed to two girls, one with blue hair and one with pink. "You'll then have to take care of Kat and Ana. I'm afraid I can't keep up with their nature games." The picture changed to Dr. Crygor. "Given your physical prowess, I think you should go see the doctor. He's always interested in new test subjects."

Waluigi leaned back in his chair. "So, what are we gonna do now?"

Alboort turned off the projector and turned on the lights. "Well, I would like to hurry and get done with the video games. You go on ahead to 9-volt's house, and I'll meet you there."

---

Alboort floated out of the front door and opened up his Thieftech. "Okay, Waluigi, I'm getting ready to come your way."

Waluigi blipped up on the screen. "Okay, Waluigi will wait on this street corner until he gets your signal."

Alboort nodded. "Then I'll try to get there as fast as I can. I can go faster by shaking the Wii Remote while moving."

Waluigi scratched his head. "Yeah, well, what if people see you. Waluigi means he hasn't seen any Boos. Plenty of people and animals, but no Boos. And Waluigi doesn't think you can triple jump."

Alboort adjusted his glasses. "No, I can't, but I can jump using the A button."

Waluigi raised an eyebrow. "You can't even double jump?"

Alboort bowed his head in shame. "No." He looked up. "But by holding down the A button, I can float for a short period of time."

"But what about the people? They might call in too much attention if they see you."

Alboort's glasses glinted. "Well, as a Boo, I can disappear by pressing the 2 button. Unfortunately, I can't move in this state."

Waluigi nodded. "Okay, you keep out of sight and make your way over. Waluigi doesn't want to risk people's suspicion."

"Okay, I should be there soon." Alboort flipped the Thieftech shut and started floating down the streets. He traveled between houses, avoiding the streets and people. He held the Thieftech up to his eye every once in a while until he was behind his destination. "Okay, Waluigi, I'm here."

Waluigi nodded. "Okay, Waluigi will move in." He walked down the street and knocked on a door.

A red-haired woman answered. "Oh, who are you?"

Waluigi bowed. "Well, miss, Waluigi was just wondering if 9-volt was at home."

The woman stood there for a minute, eying Waluigi, but she soon smiled. "Oh, you must be one of his school friends. A relative of 18-volt's relatives, maybe?"

Waluigi shook his head. "No, otherwise, Waluigi would probably be named something like 26-volt."

The woman giggled. "Good point. I'll go get 9-volt for you." She walked back into the house.

Waluigi nodded and smiled. After the woman left, he held the Thieftech up. "Okay, Waluigi's pretty much in."

Alboort nodded. "Right, I'll just use the C button to enter the electrical system and position myself."

Waluigi gave a swift nod and hung up.

Soon, 9-volt walked up to the door. His eyes grew wide as he looked up. "Holy cow! I can't believe it! Waluigi! The Waluigi is at my house!" He grabbed onto Waluigi's hand and started to pull. "Come in. Come in."

Waluigi grimaced slightly. "Okay. Okay! Waluigi's in."

9-volt stopped. "Oh, sorry. I'm just so excited!" He ran deeper into the house and back out. "Would you sign my autograph book?"

Waluigi allowed the book and pen to be shoved into his hands. "Okay. Okay." He started scribbling in the book. "Anything special you'd like?"

9-volt nodded. "Just your name and your first appearance: Mario Tennis." He started shaking. "Oh, wow, this is just so amazing! This has to be the biggest thing to happen since Wario came to Diamond City." He gulped in a breath. "So what are you doing here?"

Waluigi placed the autograph book on the table. "Well, Waluigi was wondering if he could maybe play a game with you."

9-volt's eyes almost popped out of his head. "Y-y-y-you w-want to p-pl-play with m-m-me?" He almost pulled Waluigi's arm out of its socket as he dragged the plumber into his room. "Hey, 18-volt, look who's here!"

18-volt looked up, bobbing his head to the music. He stared blankly at 9-volt.

9-volt smiled. "Don't you see? It's Waluigi! Wario's partner."

18-volt nodded. "Word."

9-volt ran towards his shelf. "Okay. I need to pick out just the right game for this."

Meanwhile, Alboort floated around outside. "Well, if I can find an energy insert, I can interact with it using the C button and enter the house." He paused as he saw a little device sticking out of the wall. "All right. Here I go." He shrunk down and materialized his way through.

Alboort shook his head and adjusted his glasses. "I really have to work on those landings." He looked forward. "Okay, now I just have to travel down this wire, and I should soon be inside 9-volt's television." He floated forward a little, but stopped and reeled back. "Whoa! I should probably use the A button to jump and float over the electrical discharge that flows down this wire." He pushed his glasses tight against his face. He started quickly floating down the wire, bouncing his way through rings of electricity.

Soon, Alboort looked around. He held up the Thieftech and turned it on. "Okay, Waluigi, I'm in."

Waluigi held his Thieftech close to his ear. "Okay, the kid is close to picking out a game."

Alboort nodded. "Right. Now, I know you haven't played that many video games, so I'll be helping you from the inside."

Waluigi raised an eyebrow. "And how are you going to do that?"

Alboort looked around. "Well, I believe that I'm in 9-volt's first controller. I could use my B button lick attack, but I don't think that would be effective against electronic technology." He smiled as he held up a small black box. "But, by pressing the Z button, I can plant one of my smart bombs. I press the Z button again, and they explode." He looked at the pillars around him. "I should probably wait until one of the button columns glow. Then I'll plant a smart bomb on it, get my distance, blow it up, and 9-volt will be experiencing some serious glitches."

Waluigi grinned. "Okay, Waluigi's gotta go now."

Alboort nodded. "Alright. No matter what, just keep playing. I'll take care of 9-volt."

Waluigi nodded and flipped the Thieftech shut. He turned to 9-volt. "So, you ready to play a game?"

9-volt looked back from his Nintendo system. "Yeah, just grab the second controller." He grinned broadly. "You might be new to these games, but don't think I'll go easy on you because I'm a fan."

Waluigi laughed. "Don't bother. Remember, Waluigi is number one!"

9-volt laughed, too. "Then bring it. I'm always ready for a challenge."

Inside the system, Alboort looked around himself. "Let's see here. The actual gameplay should be starting..."

One of the columns glowed blue.

"Now!" The Boo rushed over and placed on the blue pillar. He floated away and blew up the bomb." He huffed slightly. "I hope I don't tire out. I'm going to need to make sure that the bomb goes off before the pillar stops glowing." He waited for the pillars and started blowing up bombs on the ones that glowed. He wiped his brow. "Wow. Waluigi wasn't kidding. This field work is exhausting."

Meanwhile, 9-volt was frowning. "What's going on here?"

Waluigi raised an eyebrow. "What's the matter, kid?"

9-volt stared at the screen. "I don't know. My character just doesn't seem to be working right."

Waluigi shrugged as he randomly pushed buttons. "Waluigi doesn't know. He's just playing."

9-volt shrugged as well. "It's probably just a momentary glitch." He grinned at Waluigi. "But don't think that I'll lose because of this."

Alboort was huffing and puffing heavily. "It's a good thing there's no anti-virus system, or I'd be having some real issues. He placed another bomb and floated away. "It shouldn't be much longer, now." He continued to place bombs until one pillar glows red. He placed a smart bomb on it. "Okay, that should be the last one." He pressed the activation button.

9-volt furrowed his brow. "I can't believe I lost." He shrugged and sighed. "I must be having a rough day."

Waluigi patted 9-volt on the head, snickering. "Don't worry about, kid. Waluigi is number one after all. You'll be sure to tell Wario that, right."

9-volt looked up at Waluigi and grinned. "You bet!" He turned to 18-volt. "We'll tell him as soon as he go to work later."

18-volt nodded. "Word."

Waluigi stood up. "Well, Waluigi's gotta go now."

9-volt waved. "Okay. Thanks for coming, Waluigi."

Waluigi grinned and gave 9-volt a thumbs up. "Be seeing you around, kid." He started walking out of the room.

5-volt, 9-volt's mother and the woman who let Waluigi in, was in the kitchen. She turned as Waluigi walked through. "Thank you for coming. I haven't seen 9-volt so happy since he became one of WarioWare's employees."

Waluigi grinned. "It was nothing." He flicked a rose out from under his hat. "Thanks for letting Waluigi in."

5-volt took the rose, blinking. "Oh, thank you."

Waluigi smiled as he left the house.

Out back, Alboort popped out of the electrical center. He turned to Waluigi. "Did you seriously give 9-volt's mother a rose?"

Waluigi waved Alboort off. "Meh, Wario does garlic, Waluigi does roses. Besides, isn't a rose a thief's classic calling card?"

Alboort nodded. "Okay. Just make sure you don't act too freely with those." He looked at his watch. "Look, I'll see you back at the hideout. We need to continue with the plan."

_Mission Complete,_

_signed,_

_Alboort_

---

Okay, 9-volt is a Nintendo fanboy, so I thought he would know Waluigi. I'm sorry this chapter wasn't too descriptive, but I thought it might get annoying if I kept saying: green glow, blow up, blue glow, blow up, etc. I also needed to introduce Alboort's skills.

Stay tuned, and please review.


	5. Chapter 1 part 4

Before this chapter starts, I wish to apologize. I made a slight graphic error. I've been describing Kat and Ana as having blue and pink hair, whereas Kat has pink hair and Ana has orange hair. These will be corrected from this chapter henceforth.

Chapter 1.4: Kindergarten Care

Waluigi stepped out of the country house and flipped open his Thieftech. "Okay, now that that 9-volt kid is over with, Waluigi is supposed to go to the grade school, right?"

Alboort nodded on-screen. "Right. Recess should be starting soon, so you better hurry."

Waluigi gave a brief nod. He looked through his Thieftech to locate the school before shutting it and putting it in his pocket. He jumped onto the roof and onto a wire, running his way into town. He soon hopped onto a car and rode his way across town. He hopped off on the grade school's block and ran down the sidewalk. He flipped the Thieftech open again and held it up. "Okay. Waluigi's ready."

Alboort tapped a couple times on his computer. "Okay, the kindergarten should be getting out for recess about," a bell rang, "now."

Waluigi looked up and watched kids running into the playground. "Okay, now, what is Waluigi doing dealing with kindergartners?"

Alboort pushed his glasses up. "Well, you're supposed to confront Kat and Ana and challenge them to a game to prove your possible superiority."

"Waluigi already knew that! What he wants to know is how he's supposed to know if the little girls will play with him." Waluigi settled down. "Besides, what if a teacher seems Waluigi? It might look weird."

Alboort nodded. "Don't worry about any of that. Kat and Ana are ninjas. They'll take on any challenge thrown at them."

Waluigi shifted his weight uneasily.

Alboort clicked his mouse a couple times. "Kat also doesn't care much for authority, so it's not likely they'll be playing where a teacher could see you."

Waluigi nodded. "Okay, hey, before Waluigi goes in, what should he expect from these two."

Alboort tapped on his keyboard. "Well, they might challenge you to a battle."

Waluigi groaned. "Waluigi doesn't like that idea. Two against Waluigi seems pretty unfair."

Alboort grinned. "Don't worry about it. Kat might be a little fiery, but she's the older one anyways. Their honor code will probably force them to abide by school rules against violence, so a battle is unlikely. You're more likely to be pitted up against nature games."

Waluigi raised his eyebrow. "Nature games?"

Alboort nodded. "You know, like flowers and animals."

Waluigi rolled his eyes. "Oh, this is going to be real fun."

Alboort scowled. "Look, you want Ashley to be the one to join our team, don't you?"

Waluigi shrugged. "Well, she is probably the best choice out of all of Wario's lackeys."

Alboort waved his arms wildly. "Then you have to beat everyone at their games! Beggars can't be choosers!"

Waluigi raised his eyebrow again. "Waluigi thought we were thieves."

Alboort sighed. "Look, just go in and deal with Kat and Ana. I'll be here to clue you in."

Waluigi nodded before shutting his Thieftech. He looked around until he spotted the distinctive pink and orange hair. He jumped over the fence and walked towards the more woody part of the playground.

Kat and Ana looked up as the purple-clad plumber.

Kat stepped forward. "Hey, who do you think you are trespassing on our turf?"

Ana pulled lightly on Kat's sleeve. "I wouldn't do that, Kat. He looks mean."

Waluigi smirked. "Oh, come on. Waluigi's not mean. He just wants to play."

Kat paused for a second, placing her hand on her chin. "Waluigi? I want to say I know that name, but it's not ringing any bells."

Ana stood up next to her sister. "Kat, I think Wario mentioned something about a Waluigi."

Kat held up her hand. "No, no, that can't be it." She thought for a moment. "Wait. I've got it! Wario mentioned something about a Waluigi."

Ana nodded numbly. "I suppose he did."

Waluigi grinned. "Well, that Waluigi is me, and Waluigi is here to prove he's number one."

Kat grinned. "Number one, huh? Well, you're going to have to get through us, before you can claim that."

Ana held her hands up defensively. "Kat, don't say that. If he's anything like Wario, you're just asking for trouble."

Waluigi held his chin. "Well, Waluigi doesn't want to cause any trouble. He's more of a gaming man."

Kat's eye glinted. "Games, huh? Then you've come to the right place. We happen to make games as a job."

Waluigi cracked his fingers. "Waluigi doesn't know. He feels a little guilty playing against a couple of little girls."

Kat stomped her foot down heavily. "We are not just little girls. We are ninjas!" She pointed to the orange-haired ninja. "Ana, you take on this banana-nosed twit first."

Ana blushed and started sweating. "What? Me? Are you sure?"

Kat nodded and turned to Waluigi. "Let's see how good you are, Banana-nose. If you beat my sister, you can take me on."

Waluigi grinned. "Okay, let's get this party started."

Ana fiddled with her fingers and looked down as she walked forward. "Follow me. I have a special area where I like to play my game." She walked a little deeper into the school's forest-like area. "Come on."

Waluigi and Kat followed the orange-haired girl until they were out of sight of the school. Waluigi looked around as the scenery practically changed into some sort of garden. A pile of flowerpots filled with dirt stood to one side.

Ana turned to Waluigi. "Okay, my game is to make flowers sprout."

Waluigi raised an eyebrow. "Okay, Waluigi might not have done to well in Biology when he was in school, but he knows take a few days to sprout."

Kat grinned. "That's why this is a challenge. Besides, you'll actually have to get the flower to bloom before we count it as sprouted."

Ana nodded slowly. She pointed towards a couple of piles of flower pots. "We'll start with those."

Waluigi rubbed his chin, when his Thieftech buzzed. "Excuse Waluigi for a minute. He needs to take this call."

Kat frowned, but Ana nodded.

Waluigi took a couple steps away and flipped open his Thieftech. "Talk to Waluigi."

Alboort blipped onto the screen. "Things are looking good so far. This game will be a lot easier for you than you think. Ana might use the old-fashioned water routine, but you can use something vastly more effective."

Waluigi nodded. "And what does Waluigi have?"

Alboort clicked on his mouse. "Your Earthquake Stomp move, by pressing the A button to jump and the B button to stomp, might push flowers up. Don't worry. They can't call it cheating, seeing how they'll be using their ninjutsu abilities against you."

Waluigi smirked. "Okay,Waluigi will call you if he runs into any trouble." He hung up the Thieftech and turned back to Kat and Ana. "Okay. Waluigi's ready to play."

Kat nodded. "We got the pots set up all ready." She pointed towards Ana. "Just take your position, and I'll tell you when to start."

Waluigi grinned as he walked over to Ana. He stepped in front of his pot and bent his legs.

Kat stood between the two. "Okay. This is a simple game. First one to get all their garden blooming wins. There will be no tampering with the other player's pot. There will be no attacking each other. If you break either rule, you will be disqualified." She held up her hand. "Ready? Set. Go!" Her hand dropped.

Ana immediately ran up and started fiddling with the soil in her first pot.

Waluigi just grinned and jumped up. He quickly shot his legs down into the ground, and the flower shot clean up.

Kat's eyes widened. She crossed her arms and huffed. "Beginners luck." She picked another pot up and placed in front of Waluigi. "But there's no way you'll win."

Waluigi smiled wider as Kat walked back to her position. He jumped up and stomped, shooting the flower up again. This process went on, Waluigi getting three flowers for each of Ana's two, until one plant only partially popped up.

The Thieftech buzzed, and Waluigi answered it. Alboort appeared on the screen. "I forgot to mention. Larger flowers might need more than one stomp to pop up. Just keep stomping."

Waluigi nodded as he placed the Thieftech over his eye for future communication. He continued his Earthquake Stomps for three two-stomp flowers, two three-stomp flowers, and a large five-stomp flower."

Waluigi clapped his hands together. "Yes! Waluigi's the winner."

Kat smirked. "What do you mean?"

Waluigi pointed at the pots. "Waluigi got all his flowers to bloom."

Kat shook her head. "I said the garden. You still have to plant them."

Waluigi raised an eyebrow. "Say what?"

Kat pointed over to an empty garden plot. "You need to plant them in the garden. You better hurry, too. This is where Ana usually beats any opponents who got a headstart on her."

Waluigi scoffed. He picked up his pots all at once and carried them over to the plot. He put them down and started scooping out one of the smaller flowers.

"What are you doing?"

Waluigi jumped and looked around, before realizing it was the Thieftech. He pressed a button on the Thieftech. "What the matter? Waluigi's planting a garden here."

Alboort waved his hands frantically. "You know you're better with your legs than your hands. Use your Z button kick to launch pot in the air and break them, then press the B button to slam the flower's soil into the garden. It's not that hard to figure out."

Waluigi smirked and snickered. "Okay. Waluigi's going to get this done quick."

Alboort adjusted his glasses. "You better hurry. Ana's on her way to start planting."

Waluigi nodded and pressed the button to blank out the image. He kicked the first pot up and slammed the flower into the garden. He continued the process until one pot didn't break.  
Alboort's voice came through the Thieftech. "Don't worry. Some of the bigger pots will need to be kicked a few more times to break. You can do this faster by juggling them by pressing the Z button multiple times."

Waluigi gave a brief nod and scooped the flowerpot up with his foot again. He started kicking faster, juggling some between feet until they broke. The largest pot was a little heavy, but he soon found himself slamming the massive flower into the ground.

Waluigi wiped his brow. "Now, Waluigi's the winner!"

Kat gaped. "Impossible! Noone's ever beaten Ana!"

Ana patted her trowel on her last flower. She stood up and wiped her brow. "It's okay, Kat. I only like seeing all the flowers in bloom."

Kat grabbed Waluigi's hand and growled. "No. It's not okay, Ana." She looked back at Waluigi as she dragged him. "Don't think I'll be so easy."

Soon, the three were in a closed-in part of the forest. Two baskets hung from the top of two trees.

Kat stepped into the middle of the clearing. She pulled out her sword and pointed it at Waluigi. "Okay, tough guy, you might have beaten Ana, but I'm a lot tougher." She pointed to one of the baskets. "I have trained several cats in the art of ninja skills. When I pull the rope that opens these baskets, they'll come out and attack us. This is a game of endurance. The first one to fall in battle loses."

Waluigi flinched. He tapped the button on the side of the Thieftech. "Alboort, Waluigi thought you said these kids were nature-based."

Alboort adjusted his glasses. "Cats are nature. They're animals."

Waluigi glared at Alboort with the one eye under the Thieftech. "That's not what Waluigi means. Waluigi doesn't know how to fight ninjas."

Alboort tapped a couple times on his keyboard. "Well, just keep kicking. If you're feeling a little overwhelmed, use you're Earthquake Stomp to make the cats dizzy for a moment. This will give you time to distance yourself."

Waluigi sneered. "Okay. Waluigi will do his best."

Kat frowned and crossed her arms. "Hey, Banana-nose, are you ready or what?"

Waluigi walked over. "Yeah, yeah. Waluigi's ready to play."

Kat smiled. "Good. Just stand over there. Realize, these cats will not stop fighting. You have to put up with their attacks until either you or I fall."

Waluigi sneered. "Yeah, yeah. Just start it already."

Kat's eye glinted. "Okay." She pulled the rope. "Go."

About ten cats fell out of each basket. They started running forward, claws bared.

Waluigi flinched. He started kicking cats away, but ten against one is pretty fierce odds. He soon started jumping and stomping to run away from the cats.

Alboort appeared on the little screen. "Waluigi, if you're having too much trouble, then you can Earthquake Stomp on their heads to stick them into the ground."

Waluigi nodded as he jumped up and stomped on one of the cats.

"Also, by pressing the 2 button, you can use your equipped tennis racket to send cats flying away." Alboort's glasses glinted. "Try aiming cats over at Kat. She might be a ninja, but I doubt that she can put up with too large a group of opponents. She needs Ana to be truly effective in battle, so she's practically a sitting duck right now."

Waluigi snickered. "Now that's Waluigi style."

Alboort grinned. "I thought you'd approve."

Waluigi pushed the button to turn his Thieftech off and turned around. He whipped out his tennis racket and started smacking cats like crazy. Though some cats tried attacking from behind, Waluigi jumped and landed on their heads.

Kat turned around to realize that most of Waluigi's cats were on her side. She furrowed her brow, but she soon started to panic. "No. No. This can't be. Ana, help me."

The cats started swarming over the pink-haired ninja. As they walked off, Kat groaned. "This is so embarassing."

Waluigi laughed. "Yes! Waluigi wins! Waluigi is number one!"

Ana smiled and walked over to Kat. "Come on, recess is almost over."

Waluigi held up his finger and wagged it at the two ninjas. "Hold on! You two are going to tell Wario that Waluigi is number one, right?"

Ana nodded and smiled. "We'll tell him later, when we go to work."

Kat groaned and glared at Waluigi.

Waluigi lifted his hat. "Now, now. Waluigi might love to win and get a little over-excited, but he's not a sore winner." He fished in his hat and pulled out two roses. He placed his hat on his head and handed a rose to each of the ninjas. He waved, ran to fence, and jumped over.

Alboort appeared on the Thieftech screen. "You are unbelievable, Waluigi."

Waluigi grinned. "Thank you."

Alboort frowned. "Flirting with kindergartners is not considered proper behavior."

Waluigi frowned back. "Waluigi wasn't flirting. Roses are his calling card."

Alboort sighed. "Forget it. Just go to Dr. Crygor's lab. He's the last one we need to take care of for the day."

---

Okay, again, I apologize for my chromatic error. It's just that two persons who are generally close in anime, as rivals or twins or something of that fashion, I mean, typically have pink and blue hair. Please forgive me.

I hope I am doing an accurate job with the WarioWare characters. I can't say that I could tell much from the games.

Anyways, I hope this keeps going strong. I'll have the next chapter up soon.

Please review.


	6. Chapter 1 part 5

Chapter 1.5: A Real Workout

As Waluigi stood beneath the lighthouse, he pulled out his Thieftech and looked out to sea. "Okay, this is place, right?"

Alboort tapped a couple times on his keyboard and nodded. "You do remember how to get over there, I assume."

Waluigi nodded and looked up. "Yeah. Waluigi just has to climb up the lighthouse, using the C button to grab onto ledges. Then he presses down and holds the A button to swim in the air. Waluigi grabs onto a boat's mast halfway using the C button, followed by climbing to the top and swimming the rest of the way."

Alboort nodded. "Get over there, and I'll give you further instruction."

Waluigi shut the Thieftech and looked up. He jumped and grabbed onto the first ledge. He continued to ascend and followed through with the rest of his plan. When he landed on the sand, he ran over to the door and flipped open the Thieftech. "Okay, now what should Waluigi expect from this doctor guy?"

Alboort tapped a couple times on his keyboard. "Well, Dr. Crygor is a marvelous scientist. He's a hundred and three years old, so he must be doing something right. He likes to preform the craziest experiments, and he hasn't proved himself to be the sanest."

Waluigi raised an eyebrow. "And what sort of competition should Waluigi expect?"

Alboort adjusted his glasses. "Well, it's a little hard to say. Dr. Crygor experiments with just about every little thing."

"Well, Waluigi's just a little worried about that fusing with fruit business." Waluigi grabbed his nose. "He doesn't really want to become Mr. Banana-nose."

Alboort frowned. "Pull it together, Waluigi. That was simply an accident. I'm sure Dr. Crygor isn't doing anything quite so hare-brained. Just walk inside and talk with him."

Waluigi sneered. "Okay, but if Waluigi comes back with a yellow nose, he's taking it out on you."

"Understood."

Waluigi flipped his Thieftech close and pocketed it. He slowly opened the door, looking around inside. "Hello? Is anybody here?"

A man in a yellow jumpsuit turned to the door. "Hello, dear fellow. Might I assist you in some fashion?"

Waluigi stepped in. "Ah, you must be Dr. Crygor."

Dr. Crygor stared at Waluigi curiously, his light of an eye streaking across his visor ominously. "Well, I see my reputation proceeds me. But who are you?"

A long sigh of disbelief rolled across the lab. A red-haired girl with conspicuously large glasses walked over and bapped Dr. Crygor over the head. "I think you need to see about upgrading your memory, grandpa. It's Waluigi. You've seen pictures of him in Wario's office."

Dr. Crygor stared at Waluigi for several minutes. "I do believe you're right., but I've only known him by such names as beanpole and dirty rotten cheater."

Waluigi stepped back, his jaw dropping. "Why that two-timing, rotten bucket of lard!" He paused and coughed lightly, noticing the other two's stares. "What Waluigi means is he's been going around to prove to Wario that he's a top notch player."

Dr. Crygor smiled. "So, competition, is it, boy? I've just the thing for the occasion."

Waluigi covered his nose. "It doesn't have to do with fruit, does it?"

Dr. Crygor stared at Waluigi blankly. "Well, not really. But it is a means of becoming healthy." He turned to look at a robot who was sweeping the lab's floor. "Mike, could you bring out the Kelerometer 2.0."

Mike nodded. "Sure thing, doctor." He ran into the back of the lab and came walking back out with a couple of massive capsules. He ran back to bring out a pair of huge treadmills, one at a time. With all the equipment out, he started plugging things together.

Waluigi raised both eyebrows. "What all is this techna-ma-hoozitz?"

Dr. Crygor laughed boisterously and took a dramatic pose. "This, dear boy, is the Kelerometer 2.0, a revolution in health science." He crossed his arms and nodded. "My original Kelerometer needed two people in order to operate. These two, however, only need one." He started laughing again, louder than before.

Waluigi turned to the red-haired girl. "Uh, Penny, right?"

Penny Crygor nodded.

"What exactly does this thing do?"

Dr. Crygor turned around and grabbed Waluigi by the shoulder. "This thing, dear boy, allows fit people to work out to help the out of shape into shape. One just simply runs on the treadmill, and it burns the kelories in a person, making them lose weight."

Penny sighed. "Grandpa, just admit that its' a treadmill-powered super spa."

Dr. Crygor faltered slightly and turned to Penny. "Now, Penny, you should know more than anyone that I put a lot of effort into the and that it is more than just a spa."

Penny rolled her eyes and giggled. "Of course it is, grandpa."

Dr. Crygor turned to Waluigi. "Now, you seem like a particularly fit young man, and I do happen to have two of my Kelerometer 2.0."

Waluigi grinned. "So, you just want Waluigi to run on that?"

Dr. Crygor smiled. "A simple task, I'm sure, but a pleasant sport nonetheless."

Waluigi nodded. "Okay, let's give it a go."

The Thieftech buzzed in Waluigi's pocket.

Waluigi pulled it out. "Um, this call is important." He walked off towards the door and flipped open the Thieftech. "What's up?"

Alboort adjusted his glasses. "Well, I just overheard your little conversation."

Waluigi grinned. "It's too easy. All Waluigi has to do is run."

Alboort tapped on his keyboard. "What you need to do is burn more kelories than Dr. Crygor, and don't go thinking it will be all that easy. Dr. Crygor might not look like much, but his arms and legs are mechanical."

Waluigi gawked at the screen. "You mean I'm going up against some robot here!"

Alboort shrugged. "Actually, he's a cyborg, only part robot. But a cyborg is still pretty powerful."

Waluigi paused. "Only part robot?" He held his chin in thought. "Then Waluigi thinks he can take him, easy."

Alboort stared blankly at Waluigi. "Is there something here I'm not getting?"

"You said that Dr. Crygor is a hundred and three, right?"

Alboort raised an eyebrow. "I suppose, but that's due to his technical enhancements."

Waluigi smirked. "Well, Dr. Crygor's legs and arms might be metal, but Waluigi's guessing that the old man doesn't run on lungs of steel."

Alboort smiled and adjusted his glasses. "Very observant. Do you think you can outlast him?"

Waluigi nodded. "No problem. Waluigi is number one, after all."

Alboort tapped a couple times on his keyboard. "Well, just in case, keep the Thieftech on. There might be a trick behind this Kelerometer, especially if it's still experimental."

Waluigi nodded, he turned his Thieftech's screen off. He placed it over his eye and turned around. He walked towards the two Crygors. "Okay, Waluigi's ready."

"As are we." Dr. Crygor clapped his hands together. "The Pseudo-humanoids have been placed within there compartments, and all systems are ready."

Mike pulled a microphone off his head and ran between the two. "So let's get this show on the road, people! Take your places!"

Waluigi stared blankly. After watching Dr. Crygor step onto one of the treadmills, he hopped onto the other."

Mike and Penny stood in front of the two.

Penny raised her hands. "Okay, this is a simple Kelerometer contest. The one to burn the most kelories is the winner."

Mike stood in front of Penny. "So get yourselves ready. Get yourselves set." He turned the volume up on his microphone. "Get going you two!"

Alboort sounded over the Thieftech. "Okay, you remember how to run."

Waluigi scoffed. "Of course Waluigi knows how to run. He just shakes the Wii remote while moving."

"Better get going. Dr. Crygor's already started."

Waluigi nodded as he started running. It was a rather quiet competition. That is, until a hurdle popped up at the front of the treadmill.

"Wha?" Waluigi tripped over the hurdle.

Dr. Crygor laughed as he ran. "This little invention of mine is meant to burn all sorts of kelories. The last one was simply too simple to be as effective as I wanted."

"Waluigi, what are you doing?" Alboort called over the Thieftech. "Get up and get going. You know how to jump."

Waluigi stood up and brushed himself off. "Yeah. Yeah. Waluigi just presses the A button." He jumped back on the treadmill and started running again.

"Just be sure to look out for more hurdles," Alboort warned. "I suspect there's going to be plenty about this Kelerometer that Dr. Crygor knows that we don't."

Waluigi nodded as he ran. Hurdles continued to come up as the race continued. Waluigi ran faster and faster, but the hurdles did slow him down some.

Alboort appeared on the Thieftech screen. "Okay, Waluigi. I've been keeping score of your burnt kelories, and I'm guessing that you've made up enough to be about neck and neck with Dr. Crygor."

Waluigi grinned. "And Waluigi isn't even breaking a sweat."

Alboort grinned back. "And it looks like your theory on Dr. Crygor was right. The 103-year-old is really starting the melt."

As if on cue, Dr. Crygor went from wheezing to hacking. He wiped his brow. "Oh my, maybe this burns a few more kelories than I expected." He reached out for what looked like an armrest.

Penny Crygor gasped. "Grandpa, don't press the Flaming Foot level."

"Huh?" Dr. Crygor ended up placing his hand on a big red button. His treadmill started speeding up like crazy, launching the poor doctor across the lab and into front door. He groaned heavily.

Penny shook her head and turned the Kelerometer 2.0 off. "Okay, Mike. What's the results?"

Mike pulled on a lever. "Well, for Dr. Crygor..."

A stick man walked out of the containment unit attached to Dr. Crygor's treadmill.

Mike nodded and smiled. "I would not have expected less." He turned to the other containment unit. "And for the challenger, Waluigi."

The containment unit opened, but nothing happened.

Mike looked in. "Uh...." He looked around in the contraption. "I don't believe it." He bent down and picked something up. He turned around, lifting up the head token from Waluigi's Pseudo-humanoid. "Um, Doc, is this supposed to happen?"

Dr. Crygor shook his head a couple times and looked forward. He analyzed his surroundings with his laser-like eye. "I don't know whether to call that a success or if we should spend a little more time working out the bugs."

Before anyone could answer, the front door burst open and crushed Dr. Crygor into the wall. A man with a huge blue afro walked in. "Yo, yo, everybody. Is the doc in?"

Mike walked forward. "Hey, Jimmy T., how's it goin'?"

Jimmy T. knuckled with Mike. "Hey, Mike. It goes well. I just came by to talk to the doc."

Penny sighed as she wrenched the door off the wall, letting her grandfather fall to the floor.

Jimmy T. turned around. "Oh, there you are, Doc."

Dr. Crygor stood up, shaking. "Yes, quite so, young Jim." He cleared his throat. "So, may I ask what brings your visit?"

Jimmy T. smiled. "I just wanted to see how that Dance Mania Machine coming."

"Ah." Dr. Crygor nodded. "I should have expected as much."

Waluigi grinned over at Mike. "Waluigi beat the doctor pretty well, huh?"

Alboort nodded on the Thieftech screen. "And you now have the opportunity to beat Jimmy T. as well. Challenge him to a dance-off."

Waluigi watched Mike as the robot exchanged the Kelerometer 2.0 for something that looked like an arcade Dance Dance Revolution machine. "Why would Waluigi want to do that? He's already tired as it is."

Alboort adjusted his glasses. "Well, I wasn't sure if we'd ever get the opportunity to even meet Jimmy T., let alone prove your superiority to him."

Waluigi sighed as he pressed the button to clear the screen. He walked up to Jimmy T., who was inspecting the new machine. "Say, how about you and Waluigi try this thing out?"

Jimmy T. stood up and looked at Waluigi. He held his chin as he examined the purple-clad man. "Well, I'm not one to challenge people right off, but you look like you might actually be a challenge." He kicked one of the machines lightly and grinned. "Besides, I wanted the Doc to make Dance Mania so I could compare myself to others." He shrugged. "So what the heck? I can spare a few minutes for a go."

Waluigi grinned. "That's just what Waluigi wanted to hear."

Jimmy T. smiled back. "Just hop on and we'll get things started."

Mike ran up beside the two dancers, pulling a microphone off his head. "All right people, looks like we're taking a break from Olympic track and are looking at a half-time dance-off." He turned to the dancers. "Now, everything goes in this contest. That is, besides sabotage. We can't accept poor losers around here."

Waluigi flinched. "Waluigi doesn't know," he murmured below his breath. "No cheating could mean trouble."

Alboort's voice came over the Thieftech. "Don't worry. Just do what Jimmy T. does. Pretty much, while he's dancing, a sequence of the A, B, C, and Z buttons will appear on the bottom of the screen. Repeat the sequence when it's your turn, and everything should be fine."

Waluigi took a deep breath. "Okay, Waluigi's fine."

Mike span the microphone in his hand. "Okay, Jimmy, if you don't mind starting the show."

"No prob whatsoever, dude." Jimmy T. started dancing.

Waluigi copied Jimmy T.'s dancing. He was a little rough at first, but he caught on fast. True, when Jimmy T. started adding flips and splits into the performance, it threw the plumber off a bit, but he performed strongly.

After several minutes, Jimmy held up his hand. "Say, you ain't bad, uh... Waluigi, right."

Waluigi smirked. "Nothing less. Waluigi is number one after all."

Jimmy T. laughed. "Well, I can't say whether or not that's true, seeing how I don't have any more time to prove that. The club is expecting me and all." He turned to the Dance Mania Machine. "But I give you serious props, mans."

Waluigi held his chin. "So, you two will be sure to tell Wario that Waluigi is number one, right?"

Jimmy T. walked past Waluigi. "Well, I ain't making no promises."

Dr. Crygor walked the other way. "When I get to it, perhaps."

Waluigi looked at both. He pressed the button on his Thieftech. "These two aren't going to tell Wario, are they?"

Alboort shook his head. "You'll need someone else."

Waluigi grinned as he fished in his hat. He pulled out a rose and stood in front of Penny Crygor. "You'll be sure to tell the old Fatlard that Waluigi beat your grandpa and the blue-haired dude, right?"

Penny blushed lightly as she took the rose. "O-okay."

Alboort sighed. "All right, Casanova, time to come back to the hideout."

Waluigi stood up and walked to the door. "Does Waluigi have to? He's pretty exhausted."

Alboort shrugged. "Sorry, but you know I can't drive."

Waluigi groaned as he walked out the door.

_Mission complete,_

_signed,_

_Waluigi_

---

Okay, sorry, school has been killer recently. I hope to do better with updates.

Anyways, a couple of notes. If you couldn't tell, this chapter is more of a practice of Waluigi and Alboort's skills with no real negative consequences.

Also, I see Waluigi as being the true womanizer in Mario series. Mario may have ended up with a sort of female entourage in the Paper Mario series, but he was obviously ignorant to the whole affair. I could see Waluigi going after most women, and with the whole rose thing, I could see women not too opposed. It's a law in video games/anime/manga/etc.: Even if a gut isn't necessarily good looking, if he has at least one romantic quality (in this case, an obsession with roses), he can have fangirls both in-game and out-of-game. People could ignore me about this, though.

Anyways, please enjoy and review.


	7. Chapter 1 part 6

Chapter 1.6: Game of Wits

The next morning, Alboort and Waluigi were sitting in front of the projector screen again.

Alboort clicked up the first slide, which had 9-volt, 18-volt, Kat, Ana, Dr. Crygor, Mike, Penny Crygor, and Jimmy T. in a sort of mural like picture. "Okay, it's been strong work so far. We have defeated at least half of WarioWare's employees. However, things won't be quite so easy from here on." Alboort flipped the slide to show a strange white creature with a black cape and oversized sunglasses. "Orbulon spends most of his time in WarioWare Inc., so we should probably get him done with quickly, so Wario doesn't suspect anything."

Waluigi raised his hand.

Alboort raised an eyebrow. "Yes?"

Waluigi turned around in his chair. "Yeah. You said that this Orbulon guy specializes in IQ games, right?"

Alboort nodded. "That is the case."

"Well, Waluigi doesn't mean to sell himself short, but he's not the greatest with these quiz things."

Alboort adjusted his glasses and smiled. "I expected as much. However, seeing how you're supposed to be the one who beats the employees, you have to act as our figurehead. I'll need to work in the background. Orbulon is smart, though, so we're going to have to sneaky about this."

Waluigi grinned as he turned around. "Waluigi likes the sound of that."

Alboort clicked the slide button again. A picture of a big dog and a cat showed up. "Dribble and Spitz are a completely different matter. They almost never leave their taxi, so you'll need to use the van to even talk to them."

Waluigi rubbed his chin. "Waluigi doesn't know."

"Oh, come on. You've raced go-carts before."

Waluigi nodded. "But there weren't any cops on the tracks. You mentioned something about cops here, and Waluigi will have to drive fancy for this to work."

Alboort adjusted his glasses. "Very perceptive. You'll just need to outdrive both the animals and the police. If we're planning on stealing from WarioWare, we're going to have to hope they stay off our tail." He clicked the slide button, revealing a girl with large orange hair and riding on a scooter. "Speaking of the Diamond City police, Mona happens to be an old adversary of theirs."

Waluigi jumped from his chair. "Wait! So we're actually going to ask the cops to help us?!"

Alboort shook his head. "Are you crazy! We're thieves! Why on Earth would I ask the police for a favor!?" He paused and cleared his throat. "However, we will need some form of assistance. Like Dribble and Spitz, she's a moving target. Mona should be having a concert tonight, so we won't have to worry about her until later. I could see if I can find some means of beating her without running her over with the van."

Waluigi sat down. "Okay, so we wait an hour, so everyone's awake. Then, we head out for WarioWare Inc.."

"My thoughts exactly."

---

Alboort floated out the front door. He pulled out his Thieftech. "Okay, Waluigi. I'm ready to come to WarioWare."

Waluigi appeared on the screen. "Okay. Waluigi's just waiting on the corner, waiting for your call to go in."

Alboort nodded. "Okay. I'll get over there as fast as I can. Crossing streets in the middle of the city might be a little difficult, but I can always use the 2 button to disappear."

"'Kay. Just be careful." Waluigi disappeared from the screen.

Alboort put away his Thieftech and looked both ways before speeding across the street. He slid behind houses, looking around corners. He soon was across the street from WarioWare Inc.. He turned his both ways and started floating forward. Noticing someone out of the side of his eye, he disappeared. After the person walked by, he returned to normal and floated across the surprisingly empty street. He quickly floated behind the building.

Alboort pulled out his Thieftech. "Okay, Waluigi. I'm going to head in. You should do the same, but wait a minute before entering Orbulon's room. I'll fill you in on what we're supposed to do after that."

Waluigi nodded. "Okay, Waluigi already saw you and is heading in." The screen went blank.

Alboort put his Thieftech away. He looked around the wall until he saw an outlet. He floated over, shrank down, and floated into it. He started floating down the wire, jumping and floating over the electric pulses. Soon, he came across a fork in the wires.

"Well, I'm going to have to be careful. I want to pop out in Orbulon's room, not wind up in his computer. Starting off any anti-virus program would mean trouble for both me and Waluigi. I could always use the Thieftech to determine my destination, but with all this electricity I'm going to have to work fast." Alboort turned off to the right and floated for a while. Several more forks broke his path, but he found his way through and soon found himself looking out of a plug-in.

Alboort pulled out his Thieftech. "Waluigi, are you there?"

"Yeah, Waluigi's here."

Alboort nodded. "Okay, you should probably come in and grab Orbulon's attention while I get out of this thing. I don't want any attention myself, so I'll have to use the 2 button to avoid detection."

Waluigi nodded. "Waluigi will do his best, but what's the plan."

Alboort adjusted his glasses. "Well, Orbulon is very smart, so he's likely to quiz you. I'll show you the answers, but I can't make any noise while doing so, so don't answer the first thing you see."

Waluigi sighed. "Yeah, yeah. Whatever. Waluigi's got it."

Alboort nodded. "Then it's up to you to meet the challenge."

Waluigi hung up his Thieftech and knocked on the door.

Soon, Orbulon opened the door. "Hello, who is it being?"

Waluigi took a dramatic pose. "It's Waluigi."

Orbulon adjusted his glasses. "Oh, I has been hearing of you."

Waluigi flinched. "What?"

Orbulon nodded. "Is yes. Other employees is saying much about your being, what is to say, a number one." He looked Waluigi up and down. "But you is not looking like you are being a number."

Waluigi gaped slightly. "Uh, Waluigi just beat those losers."

Orbulon smiled. "It is being of course. Jimmy T. has said of a having been matched by you in dancing competition. Is yes?"

Waluigi nodded. "Yeah. Now Waluigi is here to challenge you."

Orbulon stepped back. "I is not knowing how well you will be doing. I is having an IQ of the 300, being after all."

Waluigi shrugged. "Guess it's more of a challenge for Waluigi, then."

Orbulon nodded and led Waluigi into his room. A massive computer made up one wall while a spaceship in the shape of a pig sat in another. He turned to Waluigi. "Now, I is not being a competitive person. Rather than being in showdown type of game with you, I is going to quiz you."

Waluigi raised an eyebrow. "Why? Afraid of losing?"

Orbulon shrugged. "Losing may be meaning a losing of job that is mine. So I is going to be giving a testing of you, being instead." He ran over to his computer. "Just be is giving a minute, please, yes."

Waluigi sat down in one of the chairs.

Orbulon soon walked back and sat in a chair in front of Waluigi. "Okay is. Game is being a simple defining. Questions will be of a showing up on computer screen that is behind me. Answers are being under options of A, B, C, and is a Z."

Waluigi sat there a moment. "Z? What about D?"

Orbulon looked back. "Um, I is still having trouble with what is being the alphabet of Earth. Options will be as is now." He turned back to Waluigi. "If answer which is being yours is being answer that is correct, then I is letting you win. Otherwise, you is being losing."

Waluigi grinned. "Let's see what you got."

Alboort had been watching the two. "All right. I just have to press the C button, and I can help Waluigi." He quickly snuck out of the plug-in while Orbulon's back was turned. _I'll need to stay quiet while in here. And I must remember to hold down the 2 button to disappear whenever Orbulon looks back here. Speaking of which..._ He disappeared as Orbulon looked back.

"Okay, game is the set, rules is being having been laid. We is starting now." He turned back to Waluigi. "So, it is being question time one." He clicked a remote and a question showed up. Answers appeared under each letter choice. "First question is being this: What is largest planet in Earth's solar system? Is it the being A. Earth, B. Mercury, C. Jupiter, or Z. Uranus."

Waluigi held his chin as he watched Alboort float in front of the C panel. "Waluigi thinks it's Jupiter."

Orbulon smiled. "That is the answer being correct, yes." He turned back, Alboort disappearing beforehand, and clicked his remote again. "Now, second question is the being of: On the Isle Delfino, four species live on the land. They are being the Piantas, the Nokis, and A. Yoshis & Toads, B. Yoshis & Tanukis, C. Toads & Tanukis, or is being Z. Toads & Bloopers."

Waluigi opened his mouth and idled. "Wow. Waluigi needs to think about this one. He never was good with this geography stuff."

Alboort palmed his face. He adjusted his glasses and floated in front of the B panel."

Waluigi snapped his fingers. "It's the Tanukis and those Yoshis."

Orbulon adjusted his sunglasses. "Clever is you being. But there is being more questions." He clicked his remote without looking back. "And this is being the next of questions for you: which one of the being following is not being one of the reptiles? A. Koopas, B. Snakes, C. Lizards, or Z. Newts."

Alboort rolled his eyes. Too easy. He floated in front of the Z panel.

Waluigi nodded. "The answer is newts, of course."

Orbulon looked back, not seeing the invisible Boo. "Are you being the looking at something that is being of back here."

Waluigi quickly held up his hands defensively. "No. Waluigi was just nodding to himself."

Orbulon shrugged as he turned back to Waluigi. "Is not being of a problem, then." He clicked his remote. "I am being of surety that this one shouldn't be being too hard for being you. It is of sports related." He lifted his finger. "In Mario baseball good chemistry is what of being good help, yes. Well, Goomba is of having good chemistry with all being here but A. Paratroopa, B. Paragoomba, C. Koopa, or is it being the of weird Z answer Monty Mole."

Waluigi cringed. "Waluigi knew he should have paid more attention to those chemistry things." He held his chin numbly.

Alboort cringed, too. _Let's see. Monty Mole seems to obvious a standout._ He adjusted his glasses. _Paragoombas should get along well with Goombas, and Koopas are always seen with them, so..._ He floated over in front of A.

Waluigi grit his teeth. "Well, this is tough, but Waluigi is going to have to say the Paratroopas."

Orbulon's sunglasses almost fell off. He looked back to see only the computer. "Okay, you who is being so smart, yes, being. It is being time of question that is very badly difficult." He clicked his remote. "This question is being so of the special that computer will be saying it by self."

Soon, speakers in the four corners revved up. A silky technological voice said, "Seen in darkness, lost in light. These fine treasures shine so bright. These jewels the moon lets glow while full, the sun believes should be forever dull. What is it?"

Waluigi looked around and swallowed. "No multiple choice."

Orbulon grinned. "This question is too good for the multiple choice."

Waluigi tugged on his collar. "Waluigi is going to need a minute."

Alboort looked around, tugging on his bowtie. _Let's see. I know the answer, but how can I tell Waluigi?_ He looked around. _Oh, that poster. I should have known that an alien would keep stars in his room. But I'll need to be careful. If Orbulon sees me, everything's finished._ He started gliding gently across the floor.

Waluigi followed Alboort with his eyes.

Orbulon turned around. "What is being you being looking at?"

Waluigi jumped. "Nothing. Waluigi is just turning his head in thought. Waluigi likes jewels, but this question takes some thinking."

Orbulon watched Waluigi steadily. "Is being very well. For now, that is being."

Alboort crept silently until he was under a poster covered with stars. He stood beneath it and turned to Waluigi.

Waluigi held his chin. "Waluigi isn't sure."

"Sure is being of what?" Orbulon turned back to see the star poster. "What is it being that Waluigi is thinking?"

Waluigi waved his hand from side to side. "Waluigi was just looking at the stars."

Orbulon jumped. "What did you be saying?"

Waluigi shrugged. "Stars. Waluigi just said stars."

Orbulon stood up and turned back to his computer. "I is not being believing it. That is being answer correct." He slumped, one arm on his desk. "But how is you being knowing."

Waluigi stood up. He pulled a rose out of his hat and threw it so it stuck in the desk's top. "Don't worry about it. Waluigi is number one, after all."

Orbulon turned around smiling. "We'll be seeing how it is Wario will be being acting when I tells him that is being so."

Waluigi tipped his hat and walked out of the door.

Alboort looked around. _This mission isn't over yet. I still need to get out of here. I should only float around while Orbulon's not looking, or I'll raise too many questions._ He waited silently as Orbulon walked around. As the alien inspected his computer, Alboort slowly floated over and through the door.

Waluigi walked over to Alboort. "Look at what Waluigi found sitting on the floor." He held up a piece of paper.

Alboort wiped his brow before taking the paper. "Why, it look like another clue to opening Wario's safe."

Waluigi grinned. "Waluigi found that while waiting out here."

Alboort nodded. "Well, I'll examine this after we return to the hideout. For now, let's just get out of here before a certain alien comes out and sees me."

Waluigi nodded as he and Alboort began to run.

Mission accomplished

signed

-Alboort

---

Okay, first note: Orbulon is supposed to be very smart, but his human language skills are supposed to stink. Just so everyone understood why the alien was talking like some grammar school dropout.

Second. I'm thinking that with how minigameish these missions are that after the Diamond City stage is finished, Waluigi and Alboort can come back to compete again to earn coins/money.

By the way, Alboort is the one being controlled in this level, and yes, his movements were control stick, not button-based.

I was also using questions that most people should be able to answer. Even if Orbulon is a genius, people need to be able to beat the mission.

Anyways, please enjoy and review.


	8. Chapter 1 part 7

Chapter 1.7: Taxi Service

The garage door opened up slowly. Waluigi drove out into the road in his van. He pulled out his Thieftech. "Okay, Alboort. Is it such a good idea for Waluigi to be driving around?"

Alboort tapped a couple times on his keyboard. "Of course. It's the only way to even talk to talk to Dribble and Spitz." He clicked a couple times on his mouse. "Let's start with the basics. First, the control stick controls direction, and the A button is for acceleration."

Waluigi's eyes brightened. "Oh, like in Mario Kart."

Alboort nodded. "I'm protecting a destination point down the road. Drive up to it, and use the B button to brake."

Waluigi closed the Thieftech momentarily as he drove forward. When he reached the destination, he pressed down hard on the brake. His Thieftech vibrated, and he answered it.

Alboort adjusted his glasses. "Good job. However, the city streets aren't like your countryside racing tracks. On top of needing to control your speed, you'll need to turn quickly. The C and Z buttons have been modified for a quick lane shift, right and left, respectively."

Waluigi looked down. "Oh, is that these crooked levers right here next to the steering wheel?"

Alboort nodded. "Just pull them, and it will change your lane in the blink of an eye. I realized that you might have trouble staying in one lane, let alone having to worry about shifting into oncoming traffic. Try it out."

"Hmm." Waluigi eyed the the levers. He pulled them a couple times, rapidly switching lanes.

"Okay! Enough horseplay!"

Waluigi jumped, losing control of the steering wheel for a second. "What was that for?"

Alboort huffed and adjusted his glasses. "Well, if you think you're ready for the roads, I set up a destination point marker where you can find Dribble and Spitz's taxi. They usually stop by a fast food place for lunch. Go there and challenge them to a race."

Waluigi looked through his Thieftech until he saw a purple marker in the sky. "Okay, Waluigi's heading out."

Alboort nodded. "Remember, use the levers to change lanes quickly. This is invaluable in this close-car city traffic."

"Okay." Waluigi flipped his Thieftech shut and placed it in his pocket. He made a quick u-turn and drove into town.

It took Waluigi several minutes to pass through traffic, but he eventually found himself sitting in front of some berger joint. He sat back for a while until a taxi made its out of the drive-through. It pulled up behind Waluigi's van, and they sat there for several minutes. Soon, the taxi's horn blasted.

Waluigi looked back in his rearview mirror nonchalantly.

The horn blasted again, and a large bulldog leaned out of the window. "Yo. Get that junk heap, moving. We got places to go."

Waluigi opened up his door and stepped out.

"What in blazes are you doing? Get back in your van and move!"

Waluigi walked up to the bulldog. "You must be Dribble of Dribble and Spitz's Taxi Service."

Dribble raised an eyebrow. "Yeah, but if you want our services, you really need to park that thing."

Waluigi waved his hand around dramatically. "Waluigi doesn't need a taxi. Waluigi needs a race."

"Hey, what's going on over there?"

Dribble turned to his passenger seat. "Hey, Spitz. This guy, I think he said his name was Waluigi, he says he wants a race."

A yellow cat popped his head around Dribble. "Hey. I remember him. Mike said something about a Waluigi beating Dr. Crygor in some sort of foot race."

Dribble held his chin and turned back to Waluigi. "Oh. That guy." He licked his lips. "So, you want to race us, now, huh?" He turned back to Spitz. "I think we can spare time for that."

Spitz nodded and gave Dribble a thumbs-up. "Sure. Business has been slow recently." He stared at Waluigi. "Besides, we should always show who's tops on the road."

Dribble nodded and turned back to Waluigi. "Sure. Say, we'll meet you at the docks. Then we'll start the race."

Waluigi smiled. "Excellent. Waluigi will be there."

"Yeah sure. Fine." Dribble pointed forward. "Now get that machine of yours moving!"

Waluigi waved the bulldog off. "Fine. Whatever. Waluigi's going." He walked up, jumped into his van and drove off.

Several minutes later, Waluigi pulled up to the docks.

Soon, a taxi pulled up. The window rolled down, and Dribble leaned out. "Okay. Now how is this race going?"

Waluigi opened his mouth, but stopped. "Hmm. How should this race go?"

Spitz popped up from beside Dribble. "We could just do a lap around the city."

Dribble scratched his head. "Nah. That's too simple." He continued to scratch his head as he thought. He soon snapped his fingers. "I got it. Let's do a loop 'round the town, then go into town and stop in front of WarioWare." He looked down at his watch. "It should be 'bout time for our shift, anyways."

Waluigi nodded. "Very well. Just let Waluigi get into his car."

Dribble licked his lips and nodded. "Fair enough." He turned to Spitz. "Not like we want to cheat."

Waluigi hopped into his van and backed up beside the taxi.

Spitz held up his hand. "Okay. On three. One... Two... Go!"

The taxi started off, leaving Waluigi behind.

Waluigi blinked several times. "Hmph. Couple of cheaters. They didn't even say three." He stomped down on the acceleration and sped off.

It took Waluigi a minute, but he soon passed the taxi. He snickered to himself. "No way those cheaters will catch me now." He turned the corner and pressed the brake quickly. "Holy cow! Waluigi doesn't like this traffic."

The streets were completely clogged. But Dribble and Spitz sped past Waluigi.

Waluigi pulled his cap down. "Nyah! No more Mr. Nice Guy." He took hold of the handles. "Let's see. The C button for right lane change, and the Z button left lane change." He grinned wickedly. "This is no harder than Mario Kart." He stomped down on the acceleration and started laughing. "Heck! There aren't even any shells to worry about!"

Waluigi's van shot down the street, squiggling its way between cars. Waluigi had a little trouble with the turn, but he made it without crashing. He bolted down the next road, but he had a little difficulty when the road decided to zigzag a couple times. It took a couple tricks, but he made it to the next turn, and that's where he saw trouble.

"Uh-oh. Red lights." Waluigi gripped the steering wheel a little tighter. "Waluigi's going to have to remember to brake with the B button."

Waluigi proceed ed slowly. He looked up to see the taxi in his rearview mirror. He pressed down hard on the acceleration, but made sure to stop before each red light. After turning that corner, he started looking down roads. "Where in blazes is that loser company?"

Soon, bright lights lit up down one of the roads.

Waluigi smacked his horn. "Darn it. Waluigi is going to have to find his next turn and try to make it to WarioWare before that cat and dog!"

Waluigi soon turned into town. He turned a couple more times to see Dribble and Spitz nearing the company. "No!" He blasted the acceleration into full throttle and caught the parking spot just before the taxi.

The taxi halted on a dime. It slowly swerved its way around the van and parked right in front of it.

Waluigi jumped out of his van. "Hahahaha! Tough luck, losers! But Waluigi is number one!"

Spitz hopped out of the car and pointed at Waluigi. "I have to admit. I didn't think anyone could outdrive Dribble."

Dribble stepped out of the Taxi and leaned on it. "Yeah. I have to admit that it was all a great show." He chuckled as he scratched his head. "I wasn't even sure how much of it was legal."

"Yeah. Well, you two just tell Wario that Waluigi is number one, and-" Waluigi choked. "What did you say?"

Dribble pulled off his cap and shrugged. "I was just a little unsure if you were keeping the speed limit was all." He turned to Spitz. "Honestly, it was nothing short of impressive."

The Thieftech vibrated in Waluigi's pocket. Waluigi pulled it out and flipped it open.

Alboort appeared on the screen, sweating like mad. "What on Earth did you do? Almost all of the Diamond City Police Department is headed for your location."

Waluigi swallowed heavily.

Alboort shook his head. "Never mind. Just get out of there!"

Dribble and Spitz broke their laughter for a minute. The bulldog turned to Waluigi. "Let me tell you-" He blinked a couple times. "Where did he go?"

All that was left was a rose stuck in the sidewalk.

---

Waluigi was speeding down the road. He could see the police cars in his rearview mirror. "Okay. Waluigi is coming back to the hideout."

"Don't even joke like that!" Alboort flailed his arms. "You're going to have to lose those police before coming back. We want to avoid as much direct interaction with the police as possible."

Waluigi grinned wryly. "Then it was probably good of Waluigi to replace the license plates with team logos."

"I'll ignore that broken law for now." Alboort clicked a couple times on his mouse. "Look. If you need a little help with losing the police cars, find some heavy traffic and start using your swerve controls."

Waluigi tilted his hat forward and gripped the steering wheel tightly. "Waluigi will try to do this quickly."

Alboort adjusted his glasses. "You better. You'll need to be here in time for your next mission."

"Then Waluigi will just have to do this even quicker." Waluigi stomped down on the acceleration.

The purple van started zipping down the street, five police cars chasing after it. A quick turn down a narrow road sent one of the five skidding down the road.

Waluigi snickered. "Yeah. That'll teach you to hunt Waluigi."

The road was a little cluttered, but the quick lane shift mechanisms Alboort had installed let Waluigi slip through as smoothly as a needle through silk cloth. Two of the police cars, however, got tangled in the mess.

Waluigi bent his cap almost over his eyes. "Let's see what this old van has left." He sunk the acceleration almost into the floor.

The purple van was switching between turn after turn. One of the remaining police cars practically quit.

Waluigi turned in his seat. "Okay, Mr. Tough Guy. Time for you to learn that Waluigi is number one." He turned around and sped forward. After turning onto one of the main roads, he slowed down a little to let the police car catch up. He started towards one of the green lights. He gritted his teeth. "Come on."

The light was still green.

"Stupid green light."

Still green.

Waluigi was nearing the intersection. "Stupid green light! Change for Waluigi!"

Yellow light.

"Yes!" Waluigi swerved between the two cars passing into the intersection on the other road. He laughed as he saw the police car get caught in the traffic turned chaos. He slowly turned onto his intended road. "Alboort, Waluigi is coming back to the hideout."

"That's good." Alboort pulled on his bowtie and swallowed lightly. "But I'm a little unsure whether I ever want to step into a car with you again."

Waluigi sneered as he approached the driveway. "Hey. You're already a ghost. What do you care?"

Alboort adjusted his glasses. "Point taken."

_Mission complete,_

_signed,_

_-Waluigi_

---

I'll get the mission complete logo consistent by the next location. Sorry about that.

Anyways, sorry for the short chapter. Describing driving is a little difficult to go into detail without getting boring. Please, forgive me.

Truth be told, this is probably the only level you'll actually be driving in. That is, unless I feel inclined to adding driving into one of the big missions at the end of each chapter.

Please enjoy and review.


	9. Chapter 1 part 8

Chapter 8: Hot Battle with Hot Slices

Waluigi walked out of the house and triple-jumped onto the roof. He pulled out his Thieftech. "Okay, Alboort, why did you tell Waluigi to jump on the roof?"

Alboort tapped a couple times on his keyboard. "Well, we need to be able to catch up to Mona, and I'm afraid that, even though I let you break nearly half of all traffic laws earlier, I can't let you run her over."

Waluigi nodded. "Fair enough. Waluigi's not really one for killing people, anyway." He paused and raised an eyebrow. "But what does that have to do with Waluigi standing on the roof?"

Alboort adjusted his glasses. "Ah. Right. Well, I've been able to contact some local forces who are willing to help us take care of Mona."

Waluigi frowned. "Wait. Waluigi thought you said we weren't bringing the police into this."

Alboort's glasses nearly fell off his face. "You were just in a road race of death with the Diamond City Police less than a half hour ago! Why on Earth would you think that I would bring them in to help us?"

Waluigi shrugged. "Then you the heck are you calling in?"

Alboort tapped a couple times on his keyboard. "Well, they should be arriving any minute."

Waluigi looked up when he heard a loud whirring. His eyes grew wide as a large bird-faced flying machine hovered its way over the country house.

A hatch in the bottom of the bird ship opened up, and a rope ladder fell down towards Waluigi. A green-haired woman stood over the opening. "Hello, Love. You must be the Mr. Waluigi we're supposed to pick up."

Waluigi held his Thieftech close to his ear. "Alboort, who is this?"

The green-haired woman slid her way down the rope ladder. "Now, now, Mr. Waluigi. No need to ask your little friend, Mr. Alboort, about this." She placed one of her hands on her hip. "Introductions are most proper face-to-face, anyways."

Waluigi raised an eyebrow. "Waluigi knows who he is. Who the heck are you?"

"Ah, the straightforward type, are we?" The green-haired woman held out her hand. "Well, it's a little coarse, in my opinion, love, but I like it." Noticing no motion from Waluigi, she took had of his hand and shook it firmly. "My name is Vanessa, Love."

Waluigi pulled his hand away. "Nyah. Waluigi isn't in love with you!"

Vanessa frowned slightly. "Oh. So you're not one for pet names, Mr. Waluigi?" She smiled and started climbing up the ladder. "Very well. Come with me."

Waluigi took hold of the rope ladder. He climbed up into the ship quickly to find out it was maybe twice as large on the inside as his van. "Okay. So why is Waluigi up here?"

Vanessa turned to Waluigi. "I'm here on business, Mr. Waluigi, and your little friend has given a proposition I can't refuse." She tapped a couple buttons on the control panel. "You see, Mr. Waluigi, you and I, for some reason, have decided to make Mona our prime target." She turned back to Waluigi and held her hands together. "Mr. Alboort has suggested our alliance. He says that your field of expertise may prove advantageous for this purpose." She paused and frowned in disgust. "I just hope you are of better help than my current associates." She turned to the front of the ship.

Two large men dressed in black swallowed heavily under Vanessa's glare.

Vanessa shook her head and turned back to Waluigi. "Anyways, I hope I am not biting an empty hook with this, Mr. Waluigi." She clapped her hands together. "Enough chit chat, though. We should be going. Mona could be leaving at any time."

The bird ship rose up and flew off.

It took a short bit, but the bird ship was soon hovering over a store called Mona Pizza. A yellow van, along with a motorized scooter her sitting out front.  
Vanessa pointed down angrily at the doors. "There's that little wench, Mona." She stopped and turned to Waluigi. "But I mustn't get hasty now. She's you job, not mine." She pointed to the hatch in the back. "Just climb down onto that ladder. We'll make our move shortly after they begin their trip."

Waluigi gave a brief nod before jumping over and hauling the latch open. He slid down the rope quickly. As he approached the bottom, he flipped out his Thieftech. "Okay, Alboort, why is Waluigi working for this lady?"

Alboort popped onto the screen. "Hey, we needed a ride, and we got a ride. Let's not be picky here."

Waluigi huffed. "Fine. Fine. What should Waluigi do now, then?"

Alboort tapped a couple of keys. "Well, we should wait until Vanessa and the Dinosaurs commence the attack. It's when Mona decides to counterattack that we need to worry about you."

Waluigi raised an eyebrow. "Now hold on a minute. Waluigi's not interested in get-" He lurched forward, gripping onto both the Thieftech and the rope ladder tightly, as the bird ship shifted above him.

Alboort adjusted his glasses. "I'm sorry, Waluigi. What was that?"

Waluigi shook off his nausea and looked back at his Thieftech. "Waluigi was saying that he doesn't like the idea of being shot with missiles and stuff." He scowled and looked up. "He also doesn't like the idea of being knocked off a ship twenty feet above the ground into a busy street!"

Vanessa looked down the hatch. "I'm so sorry about that, Love. My underlings aren't the best thinkers when it comes to attacking." She slipped back into the ship. "Can't you two blighters do anything right!"

Waluigi shook his head and looked back at his Thieftech. "Anyways, what exactly is Waluigi supposed to do about this 'counterattack'?"

Alboort smiled as he tapped a couple keys. "Actually, you're perfect for the job. You see, Mona's main line of defense is... soccer balls."

Waluigi raised an eyebrow. "Soccer... balls?"

Alboort nodded. "Yes, here comes Mona's first pet."

Waluigi looked behind himself to see a little blue elephant flying up in a tiny hover car. It flew in front of the ship and shot a soccer ball out of its trunk.

Waluigi simply kicked the soccer ball out of the way. "Heh. This is easy."

The elephant pulled its trunk back again and shot out some sort of purple liquid."

Waluigi spluttered as he got soaked.

Alboort laughed nervously. "Oh yeah, the elephant also can shoot sludge."

Waluigi wiped his face off with his sleeve. "And how should Waluigi fight that?"

Alboort clicked a couple times on his mouse and stared at the screen. "Well, I would suggest using Whirl-Luigi. It should reflect that sort of projectile easily. Just jump using the A button, and use the Z button to start spinning."

Waluigi looked up to see another stream of sludge. He jumped up and started spinning, throwing the sludge back at the elephant. He grabbed into the ladder and laughed. "Like that?"

Alboort nodded. "Now, remember that you're still hanging onto a rope ladder for dear life over a busy street, so I don't suggest jumping more than once."

Waluigi nodded back. "Sounds like a good idea to Waluigi."

Alboort tapped a couple times on his keyboard. "Now, focus on getting rid of that elephant."

Waluigi shut Thieftech quickly and glared at the little elephant. He started kicking soccer balls and spinning sludge away like crazy.

The battle went on a couple minutes, but soon a stream of sludge got bounced back into the little elephant's face, and the poor little animal flew off, crying as the hover car puttered away.

Vanessa looked down the hatch. "Good show, Mr. Waluigi."

Waluigi laughed, but he soon pulled his Thieftech out and raised an eyebrow. "Waluigi doesn't mean to brag, but that seemed a little too easy."

Alboort adjusted his glasses. "Oh, the elephant isn't the only animal Mona has." He clicked a couple times on his mouse. "In fact, there should be one coming up now."

Waluigi looked behind himself to see another hover car. As he watched it pass to the front, he gaped. "A pig?"

Alboort tapped a couple times on his keyboard. "That's not just any pig. Mona's pig can actually kick soccer balls."

Waluigi shrugged. "There's nothing special about that. Waluigi has been kicking soccer balls forever."

Alboort pulled on his bowtie. "I know that. I'm just saying that you might be in for a little soccer/tennis competition here."

Waluigi grinned. "Just leave it to Waluigi. He is number one, after all."

Alboort nodded. "Just be careful."

Waluigi looked up just in time to see a soccer ball coming his way. He lashed his foot forward, sending the ball back, but the pig merely kicked the ball again.

Waluigi sneered. "Oh, so you want to play tough, huh?" He smacked the ball back again.

This time the ball smacked the pig in the gut. However, it soon stood up again and kicked another soccer ball.

Waluigi grinned. "Bring it."

Several more soccer wars ensued, but Waluigi kept up with the heat. He was lashing his feet out so fast that they were like an invisible wall.

Soon, the pig collapsed backwards from the pounding, and its hover car began trailing behind.

Vanessa looked down the hatch again. "Marvelous, Love. Simply marvelous."

Waluigi looked up. "Waluigi does not love you!"

Alboort rolled his eyes. "Waluigi, the job's not over yet. There are still more animals."

Waluigi raised his eyebrow as he looked at the ghost. "What the heck could be next?"

Waluigi was answered with spunky chattering coming from beside him. He turned to see a monkey standing in the hover car flying past him. A visor was parched smartly over its eyes.

The monkey flung a banana peel at Waluigi. The purple-clad plumber tried kicking it, but it slipped up his foot, and he almost fell off the ladder.

As Waluigi pulled himself back up the ladder, Alboort chuckled. "I'm afraid that kicking banana peels isn't going to work. How about using your tennis racket?"

Waluigi looked at his Thieftech. "What good would the racket do?"

Alboort tapped a couple times on his keyboard. "Well, it's not likely that a banana peel could slip off a tennis racket, and your swing should be strong enough to bash it back. Just press the 2 button to swing it."

Waluigi nodded as he closed his Thieftech. He placed it in his pocket and pulled out his tennis racket. "Come and get it, you stupid little monkey."

The monkey chattered as it pulled out more banana peels. It's visor glowed before it threw a banana peel.

Waluigi swung his racket as best as he could without losing hold of the ladder. He hit the banana peel, and it flew back into the monkey's face.

As the monkey stood up, the banana peel slowly slipped off its face.

Waluigi laughed. "Yeah. Take that, loser."

The monkey threw a tantrum and started pulling out more banana peels.

"Uh-oh." Waluigi gripped his racket a little tighter.

The banana peels started flying, and Waluigi started swinging his racket rapidly. The sky was filled with the yellow slippers, until the monkey finally was snowed over with the stuff.

As the hover car fell back, the monkey popped its head out and looked around confusedly.

Waluigi laughed loudly. "Ha! You call that a monkey? That loser was nothing like Diddy Kong."

Vanessa looked down the hatch. "Strong work, Mr. Waluigi. We should be on the home stretch now."

The Thieftech started vibrating in Waluigi's pocket,a and the thief pulled it out. "Talk to me, Alboort."

Alboort popped up on the screen and looked like he had just seen a... uh... well... Boo. Figuratively speaking, anyways. "I'm afraid this battle is far from over, Waluigi."

Waluigi raised his eyebrow. "Ah, Waluigi isn't scared. This animals are all a bunch of losers."

Alboort swallowed. "I'm afraid it's not easy."

"Explain to Waluigi."

Alboort clicked a couple times on his mouse. "Look behind you."

Waluigi turned to see a large yellow ship. "Alboort. What the heck is that thing?!"

Alboort adjusted his glasses. "That's 4.1 and 4.2's ship. They use it to barrage enemies with soccer balls."

Waluigi pumped arm. "Don't worry. Waluigi can handle a few measly soccer balls."

"Not down there, you can't. You could lose your balance, and your grip with that much exertion." Alboort tilted his glasses down to look Waluigi eye-to-eye. "And I know how much you hate falling to your death."

Waluigi swallowed heavily.

"That's what I thought you'd say." Alboort stared intently at the screen. "It looks like there should be some ledges on the side of the ship that you can climb up. It'll be tricky, though."

Waluigi looked up at the side of the bird ship. "Waluigi is going for it."

"Okay. I guess I'll see you after the mission."

Waluigi hung up his Thieftech and stuck it in his pocket. He triple jumped up to the side of the ship and grabbed onto a ledge. He jumped again and again until he got a firm footing on the top. He looked at the yellow ship and took a sturdy position. "Come and get Waluigi!"

A pair of cannons stuck out of the yellow ship's side and began shooting soccer balls.

Waluigi replied by kicking the soccer balls back. He started having a little trouble with the speed.

Finally, though, the yellow ship started to waver. It continued to fall behind the bird ship completely.

Vanessa looked up through the window. "Bang up job, Mr. Waluigi, Love. We'll just go down and attack that Mona one more time."

Mona now decided to look up to see the menacing face to the ship laring down at her. "Oh no. This is bad."

Vanessa took hold of a microphone in the bird ship's cabin. "Oh, you think that's bad, Mona, darling. Just take a look at this."

A cannon shot out of the bird's beak and shot out Mona's back tire.

The orange-haired girl started swerving until her scooter couldn't take it anymore. She flew up and towards the van, catching the side of the open sun roof.

"Mona, are you okay?" asked what looked like a giant yellow gummy bear.

Mona wiped her brow. "Yeah. I'm fine. Just keep driving."

Vanessa bit her finger. "Blast! That lot is going to get away."

Waluigi smirked. "Waluigi doesn't think so." He pulled a rose out of his hat and jumped off the front of the ship. He threw it straight into one of the van's front tires. He caught the ladder just before falling to his doom.

Mona and the Hot Slices screamed as their van started to spin out of control. It finally stopped just before hitting a lamppost.

The bird ship hovered over the yellow van. Vanessa peeked through the hatch. "Ta-ta, Mona, darling. I've got a date with a concert tonight. Too bad you can't say the same."

Waluigi laughed. "And you be sure to tell Wario that it was Waluigi who stopped you, 'cause he's number one."

Waluigi's laughter was stopped as a paper blew into his face. He grumbled as he until he pulled the scrap off. He stuck it in his pocket.

Vanessa raised an eyebrow as she watched Waluigi climb up. "What was that, Mr. Waluigi?"

Waluigi shrugged. "Just some pizza coupons."

Vanessa smiled. "All right. We'll take you back to your place, then."

---

The bird ship hovered over Waluigi and Alboort's country house. The rope ladder lowered towards the roof.

Waluigi and Vanessa walked towards the hatch.

Vanessa held out her hand. "Well, Mr. Waluigi, it's been a pleasure working with you."

Waluigi pulled out a rose and stuck it in Vanessa's hand. "Thanks for the lift." He jumped out of the hatch and landed on the roof.

Vanessa smiled down at Waluigi. "No. Thank you, Love. Because of you, I'll be number one in the pop star world again."

Waluigi waved her off. "I don't love you."

Vanessa laughed as the bird ship flew away with her.

The Thieftech vibrated and Waluigi answered it.

"Why didn't you pop off some comeback about yourself as being number one?" asked Alboort.

Waluigi shrugged. "Waluigi can dance, and Waluigi can sing. But Waluigi isn't one for pop music. Sure, he'll admit that he has some pop songs on his toadPod, but he prefers the old country and bluegrass music."

Alboort nodded. "Well, what did you think of Vanessa."

Waluigi raised an eyebrow and gave a small gesture of towards the bird ship. "Well, Waluigi doesn't love her, but he's pretty sure that she'd look even better in a swimsuit than Mona."

Alboort palmed his face and slammed it against the table. "Waluigi, you have to be the most unbelievable person I know."

Waluigi grinned. "You can say that again, buster." He pulled the scrap of paper out of his pocket. "Waluigi just happened to catch another clue while up in the air."

Alboort sat up and stared at the paper. "That's perfect! I should be able to figure out how to open Wario's safe now. Come on down. We need to plan for the big heist tonight."

Waluigi nodded as he jumped off the side of the roof.

_Mission complete,_

_signed,_

_-Waluigi_

---

Okay, I apologize to all Mona fans if they thought this was mean. I just couldn't figure out another way for Waluigi to defeat her.

Also, I am not particularly pro- of anti-Waluigi/Vanessa. It's a little early in the "game" to give a "canon" pairing. Besides, I'm not even sure if Waluigi could handle being saddled down with a specific girl.

Anyways, the next chapter is going to be the big job/heist/thieving-thing, so stay tuned.

P.S. Please review.


	10. Chapter 1 part 9

Chapter 1.9: Operation: Beat the Big Man

Alboort and Waluigi were sitting in front of the projector again.

Alboort tapped a button, and a picture of WarioWare Inc. came up. "All right. This is it. Tonight, we're going to raid WarioWare for what it's got." He clicked the button again, and a picture of the three pieces of paper Waluigi had found popped up. "With these clues you found, I was able to find the algorithm to calculate the combination."

Waluigi turned to Alboort. "Waluigi doesn't know. Wario doesn't seem like the type to just sleep through our walking in and stealing from him."

Alboort nodded and clicked the button, changing the picture to one of Wario. "You're right. And that's why I need you to distract him."

Waluigi held up his hands defensively. "Hold up a minute! When you say "distract", what does that mean for Waluigi?"

Alboort adjusted his glasses. "Well, you have been besting his employees, so I just need you to talk to Wario for a bit."

Waluigi wiped his brow and sighed in relief.

Alboort held his chin. "Of coarse, seeing how you have pretty much defeated, humiliated, or beat up most of his employees, I doubt Wario is going to just welcome you with open arms."

Waluigi tensed up.

"And Wario is known to have a temper on top of that, so be careful." Alboort shifted his weight in thought. "Also, I know that Wario may not be the smartest, but it's not likely he left his money unprotected. Be ready to run at the first sign of any sort of security siren."

Waluigi held up his hand. "Wait! So Waluigi has to stay on his toes, dealing with Fatlard, while all you have to do is stick your hands inside his oversized piggy bank."

Alboort smiled. "A great plan, I know." He clicked the button, and Ashley and Red showed up on the screen. "Let's not forget that we did all this to impress Ashley. Otherwise, we would have just offered a share to Wario and avoided all these issues."

Waluigi waved off the last comment. "So how do we recruit Ashley?"

Alboort shrugged. "News travels fast in this town, so I'm guessing she probably heard about the defeat of the WarioWare employees."

Waluigi raised his eyebrow. "So Waluigi just walks up and asks her?"

Alboort stared blankly at Waluigi. "Yeah. Pretty much."

Waluigi returned Alboort's stare. "Okay. Waluigi just wasn't expecting it to be so easy."

---

Waluigi walked out of the front door. He looked up at the night sky before opening his Thieftech. "So, Waluigi should probably head over to WarioWare now, huh?"

Alboort nodded. "I'll be there in a few minutes. I just need to go over the numbers one more time, and then I'll be there to crack open the vault."

Waluigi nodded. "All right. Waluigi will go visit Wario, then." He flipped his Thieftech closed and ran across the street. Once in town, he hopped onto a passing car and rode until he was on the same street as WarioWare. He jumped off and ran towards the company, flinging its doors open as he ran in.

As Waluigi approached the top floor, he felt his Thieftech vibrate. He pulled it out and opened it. "What's going on, Alboort?"

Alboort adjusted his glasses. "Well, I'm about halfway to WarioWare by now, so I wanted you to know that you'll need to keep Wario busy for a while."

Waluigi scowled lightly. "Waluigi will see what he can do."

Alboort nodded. "Also, I wanted to remind you to be careful. Wario's dangerous when he gets mad."

Waluigi laughed. "You better believe it. Waluigi seen the old Fatlard get angry lots of times."

"Right. And he may be mad at you right now."

Waluigi swallowed. "Oh. Right." He rubbed the back of his head. "This isn't going t be pretty at all."

Alboort adjusted his glasses. "I'll be there in a minute, but keep me on line, so I know what's going on."

Waluigi nodded. He fitted the Thieftech over his ear and eye. He took hold of the door handle and pushed his way in.

Wario sat in a darkened room, watching Waluigi enter. "I knew you would crawl back here, Beanpole."

Waluigi waved at Wario. "Yeah. Waluigi's back. Who were you expecting, Santa Claus."

Wario fished in a plastic bag and pulled out. He sighed before meticulously picking a single segment of the clove off with his teeth. He held the rest against his head. "Waluigi." He started shaking his head as he leaned forward on his desk. "Waluigi. Waluigi. Waluigi. I don't know what went wrong. I treated you like my own brother."

Waluigi stood up straight. "Treated Waluigi like a brother? What, are you the godfather now or something?"

Wario glared up at Waluigi. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a piece of paper. He threw it on the table to reveal it to be a ticket with the word Mona written across it, followed by a heart. He leaned back in his chair. "I very much wanted to go to that concert."

Waluigi shrugged and smirked. "Things get in the way sometimes."

Wario threw the rest of the garlic clove into his mouth before growling. "Yes. About that." He slammed his hands on his desk. "Do you know what's been going on around here? I'm getting a whole bunch of this Waluigi is number one nonsense falling out of my employees mouths."

Waluigi's smirk grew. "You said Waluigi needs to earn his being number one, so Waluigi went out and earned it."

Wario scowled harder. "That's the matter with you, Beanpole. You don't think these things through so much." He flexed his muscles and flipped over his desk. "Around here, Wario is number one! Heck! Without me, you'd be nothing!"

Waluigi clenched his fists. "What do mean Waluigi would be nothing without you. If Waluigi's not mistaken, you did nothing but drag him around from one stupid idea to another." He stomped down and pointed at Wario. "Listen here, Fatlard! Waluigi is now and will always be number one. He's better as his own captain than listening to you!"

Wario frowned heavily. He pulled out a small remote and held it out in front of himself. "It seems you have forgotten your place." He clicked the remote button, and the floor started to move.

A panel beneath Wario and Waluigi's feet started to sink with the two men. It continued to lower itself until it reached the bottom of a large, cylindrical, stone room.

Wario flexed his arms and glared at Waluigi. "It's time that I taught you to respect your superiors." He pulled his arm back, baring his large shoulder at Waluigi, and charged forward.

Waluigi jumped to the side. "Aye-yah! That was a little too close than Waluigi is comfortable with."

Alboort blipped onto the little screen. "You'll want to avoid Wario's tackle attack. He can easily crush a car with his sheer physical strength."

Waluigi tensed as he watched Wario turn around.

Alboort shook his head. "Don't worry about that. Just run around it and attack him from behind."

Waluigi jumped out of the way of Wario again and turned around. He ran up and kicked Wario in the rear end, sending the large man forward a bit. "Doesn't seem too hard." He stepped to the side and kicked Wario a couple more times.

Alboort nodded. "I'm on my way up, now. Just keep him busy."  
Waluigi nodded as he turned the little screen off. He would jokingly wait last second before Wario hit him, and he would simply step to the side. He followed up but punishing Wario in the rear.

This process kept up for several minutes, until Wario started shaking his hands in fury.

Waluigi laughed. "Looks like you're not so great after all, huh, Wario?"

Wario growled. "I've been taking it a bit too easy on you, Beanpole!" He raised his hand high into the air and smashed it into the ground, forcing the whole room to start shaking.

"Woah! Hey! What!" Waluigi lost his balance on the quaking ground and fell over.

Wario chuckled as he walked up to Waluigi. He picked up the thin man. "We'll see who's so clever now." He threw Waluigi across the room.

Waluigi turned in midair so his back crashed into the wall instead of his face.

Alboort blipped onto the screen. "By the way, Waluigi. I forgot to tell you. Wario often uses his Earthquake Punch technique to daze his enemies. He'll then throw them into the nearest wall to cause a great deal of damage."

Waluigi drummed his fingers on the floor. "And why does the nerd decide to tell Waluigi this after he got treated like a baseball in the major league."

Alboort adjusted his glasses and chuckled wryly. "Well, I wasn't sure if you'd actually end up fighting him. But you don't have to worry about this."

Waluigi raised an eyebrow. "And why is that?"

Alboort smirked. "All you need to do is jump to avoid the shock waves. You can then press the B button to preform Earthquake Stomp and knock Wario off of his own feet." His glasses glinted as he smiled. "Even better, you can stomp on his head to get him stuck in the ground and kick all you like. I'm sure you B+Z button combo would deal a nice bit of damage while Wario is in this state."

Waluigi nodded. "Okay. Sounds good."

Alboort raised an eyebrow. "By the way. You may want to look out."

Waluigi looked up to see Wario charging at him just in time. He jumped over over the fat biker and kicked him smartly in the rear again. He ran away as fast as he could.

Wario turned around and charged again.

This time, Waluigi jumped up and stomped on the ground. Wario lost his balance, and Waluigi ran over to kick the fat man while he was down.

As Wario stood up, Waluigi ran away. The fat man glared at the thin man. "Quit acting like such a smart aleck, Beanpole." He raised his arm again.

Waluigi jumped into the air. He jumped again while in the air as Wario slammed the floor. He swam through the air until he was over Wario's head and simply dropped a stomp over Wario.

While the large biker was stuck in the ground, Waluigi chuckled as he kicked him across his large face. Wario was soon able to pull himself out, though.

Wario roared as he charged harder at Waluigi. The thin man had barely any time from start to impact to dodge.

Waluigi had to put up with dodging the enraged Wario with no open opportunity to attack.

Wario, even more frustrated, pulled his arm up for another Earthquake Punch.

Waluigi tensed up and jumped into the air. He stomped on top of Wario's head again. This time, however, Waluigi scooped Wario out of the ground with his foot, threw him in the air, and smashed him right back down again with his heel.

After Wario's impact, the fat company owner bounced up onto his feet. Dazed, he stumbled around. "Mama. That you? I'm sorry. I didn't know they were yours." With that, he fell backwards, causing the whole room to shake again.

Waluigi snickered as he walked up to the collapsed Wario. He pulled a rose out of his hat and stuck it between two of the massive teeth. He stood up and laughed so loud that it echoed off the stone walls. He looked back down at Wario and pointed a scolding hand at him. "See? Waluigi is number one, Fatlard!"

Alboort floated down through the hole in the stone room's ceiling. He floated over beside Waluigi and looked down at Wario. "Gadzooks! I wasn't planning this. He paused and looked up at Waluigi. He smiled and shrugged. "But I suppose it gets Wario out of the way."

Waluigi laughed. "Yeah. Fatlard ain't going anywhere for a while, now."  
Alboort looked at the wall across the room. "And look at this. Wario led us to his vault."

Waluigi smirked. "Old Wario never was a smart one."

Alboort silently floated over to the vault. "Now, I can use the control stick to turn the vault's lock. The combination wasn't difficult to calculate, but I guess Wario thought he was being clever, seeing how he used 3-2-1 instead of 1-2-3."

Waluigi snickered. "That's not the sort of code you put on a vault. Everyone should know that the best code is 6-5-4. Noone ever expects it!"

Alboort stared blankly at Waluigi. "Uh-huh. I think I'll put the code on our vault." He leaned against the vault, listening. "I'll need to be gentle on the control stick, though. I don't want to end up going past any of the numbers." He twisted the lock on the large vault door several times, backing away as it opened after the third.

Waluigi's mouth fell open, and Alboort's glasses glimmered with the gold.

Waluigi leaned over to Alboort. "Alboort, Waluigi thinks we need a bigger van."

Alboort shook his head. "Nonsense. I can carry it all by myself."

Waluigi stared at Alboort. "Wait. Waluigi thought we needed to recruit a heavy lifter."

Alboort looked up at Waluigi. "That's for things like valuable statues and vaults we can't open." He turned back to the vault. "Money isn't all that heavy, though. It just takes up a lot of space. I can take care of that, though. Just stand back, so you don't get caught in the crossfire."

Waluigi stepped back with a curious eyebrow still raised.

Alboort floated forward. He removed his glasses, his eyes shut, and shook his head. He opened his mouth very wide, and the money began flying into his mouth. The entire pile began to disappear. After it was gone, Alboort shut his mouth, put his glasses back on, and turned to Waluigi. "I'll spit it back out when we're back in safety."

Suddenly, red lights started flaring, and a loud siren began to go off.

Alboort jumped. "Oh my. I must have tripped a laser beam or something with all that loot."

"Who cares? Let's get out of here!" Waluigi ran over and triple-jumped up through the hole in the ceiling. He tugged on the door. "Darn it! It's stuck!"

Alboort tugged on his bowtie. "I was afraid of that. I'll need to bomb the security codes from the inside." He looked around. "Now, to find a- oh! There we are." He floated over to the plug-in, shrunk down in size, and flew in.

Alboort looked around. "I'll need to make it up to Waluigi's level and break that security lock." He flew through the wire, jumping over electrical pulses. When he got to the top, however...

Alboort stopped and went back around the corner. He peeked around. "Uh-oh. I was afraid of this." He pulled out his Thieftech. "Waluigi, I may be a few minutes."

Waluigi waved his arms around frantically. "We only have a few minutes because Fatlard is unconscious. Waluigi has no idea when Wario's lackeys, or worse, the cops, are gonna show up."

"Okay. Okay. I understand. It's just that Wario has a security program that's guarding the lock's controls."  
Waluigi groaned. "Can't you just blow them up to Bowser's castle with your bombs or something?"

Alboort sighed. "They're not fast enough." He groaned back. "I could try using bombs, but I'm going to have to attack them with my ghostly Lick attack."

Waluigi shrugged. "Well, if you start having issues, you can always disappear to confuse them. That always worked for the Boos back in the Mario sports tournaments."

Alboort brightened. "That's a great idea Waluigi. Thanks for the suggestion." He flipped his Thieftech closed and looked at the mechanical soldiers standing around several metallic columns. He pushed his glasses up and quickly floated towards them, tongue lashing about.

The security droids were already startled by the intruders appearance. They rushed forward to attack, but their enemy disappeared.

As the security droids returned to their positions, Alboort snuck up behind them and placed a bomb near them. He floated back and let it explode.

Alboort turned around. "That seemed to take care of them." He floated over to the columns. "Now, I don't have to bomb the lock in any particular order. I just need to blow them up." One by one, he placed bombs on the pillars and blasted them to pieces.

Waluigi almost fell backwards as the door opened. He flipped open his Thieftech. "Okay, Alboort. It's open."

Alboort nodded. "I'll stay in here, in case there are any more locked doors."

Waluigi laughed as he ran down the hall. "Oh, come on, Alboort. What other doors could be l-" Waluigi fell backwards after colliding with the door sealing off the stairs.

Alboort rolled his eyes. "Don't worry. I'm heading down that way." He shut his Thieftech and started hopping down the wire, having difficulty with increased electrical pulses.

Alboort approached the next pillars with a bomb ready in his hands. He placed it in front of the security droids and floated away as they ran after him. He activated the bomb just as they stepped over it. He blasted the pillars again.

Waluigi stepped through the door as it shifted open. He ran down the steps, but slowed to a halt as he entered the next hallway. He stopped in front of the door at the end. "Looks like we've got another one, Alboort."

"Already working on it." Alboort licked a security droid, sending it flying back towards the other droids. He disappeared and waited for the droids to go away. As they turned, he blew them away with another bomb.

After blowing up the locking systems, Alboort floated down the cable. "It should only be the main entrance to go." He approached the last security chamber and stopped. "Oh my."

The Boo was looking over a swarm of at least fifty security droids. He raised his Thieftech to his head. "Waluigi, this may take a while."

Waluigi stood next to the glass doors. "We don't have a while, Alboort. This time, Waluigi is going to take care of things Waluigi's way." He kicked the glass doors into shards.

Alboort popped out of a nearby plug-in. "Well, that's a little unconventional." He looked up at Waluigi and shrugged. "But effective."

Waluigi ran through the broken door. He continued to run alongside Alboort. "So, we just go get Ashley and get the heck out of here, right?"

Alboort nodded. "I don't think it's necessary to keep quiet. Everyone should be inside, and we need to get away from the police."

The two kept running until they got to the edge of town. They stopped at the end of the driveway.

Alboort was panting heavily. "I'm not cut out for this field work."  
Waluigi smirked. "Do you want to go back to the hideout while Waluigi picks up Ashley?"

Alboort shook his head. "I should probably go inside with you. I have no idea what Ashley will do."

The two walked up the twisted driveway until the approached the steps. They walked onto the porch, and Waluigi knocked on the door.

After a minute of waiting, Waluigi turned to Alboort. "Maybe Waluigi should go inside. She might not be able to hear him knocking."

Alboort nodded. "It is a large mansion, and I have no idea where she could be hiding out."

Waluigi opened the door, and the two thieves walked inside. They found themselves surrounded by pure darkness, with the exception of a single, small chandelier.

Waluigi cupped his mouth. "Hello! Is there an Ashley here?"

The chandelier out.

Alboort looked over in Waluigi's direction. "This cannot be good."

The lights turned on to reveal the innards of the haunted mansion. At the top of the stairs, a girl in a red dress and wearing two large ponytails sat. A small red creature with black hair and a pitchfork sat beside her.

Waluigi stepped up to the bottom of the stairs. "Your Ashley, right?"

Ashley glared down at the two. She leaned her head to one side. "Fools."

Waluigi raised an eyebrow and looked back at Alboort, who only gave a shrug to answer the tall man's questioning look.

Ashley leaned her head the other way. "Idiots! You think that I wouldn't take a look in on you guys after you moved in next door? You think I'm stupid enough to simply let you do whatever you want without my knowing?"

Alboort flinched. "I'm afraid we don't understand what you're talking about."

Ashley kicked her legs up. "I've been watching you two this whole time. I know everything you've been doing."

Alboort tugged on his bowtie. "Everything?"

Ashley held her head up straight. "I know that you two are thieves. I know that you two thought you could impress me by beating the entire WarioWare crew at there own games." She leaned forward a little. "I even know that you two just stole every red cent from Wario."

Alboort stared awkwardly at Waluigi. "Well, this is a little unexpected."

Ashley leaned back. "You idiots realize that you're living next door to a witch, and you don't even expect something as simple as a crystal ball?" She tilted her head to the right. "I suppose your attempts at defeating all the WarioWare employees were noble. Too bad you failed."

Waluigi gaped. "What are you talking about? Waluigi beat all those losers! Waluigi proved himself number one."

The little red creature hopped up onto his feet. "You guys are a couple of idiots. You two are forgetting the greatest employee of them all."

Alboort palmed his face. "I am an idiot."

Waluigi turned to Alboort. "What's going on?"

Ashley stood up. "I'm a WarioWare employee, too."

Waluigi looked between Alboort and Ashley. "Waluigi doesn't know. He doesn't feel right beating up a little girl."

Ashley tilted her head to the side again as she leaned against the stairway's railing. "How quaint. I suppose the old knights' chivalry isn't dead."

Waluigi stomped on the floor. "Hey. Waluigi is a thief. Not a some walking tin can."

Ashley had the slightest flicker of a smile on her cheek. "Red."

The little creature smiled. He hopped into the air and turned into a scepter. The scepter landed in Ashley's hand.

Ashley twirled the scepter above her head. She pointed it at Waluigi and Alboort.

The two thieves flinched.

Ashley stared as though into another dimension. "Floris Giganticus."

A blast of red magic shot past Waluigi and Alboort.

Waluigi laughed. "If that's as good as your aim is, then there's no way you could beat Waluigi."

Alboort, on the other hand, froze as a large growl behind him. He turned around, and his glasses nearly fell off his face. "Uh, Waluigi. I don't think that's what she was meaning to do."

"What are you talking about?" Waluigi turned, and his jaw nearly hit the floor.

Vines were strewn across the floor. They all spiraled into a mass at the base of a giant stalk. At the top, a fiendish flower with rows of teeth and a vicious smirk at the ends of its kips was looking down at the two.

Alboort began to shiver. "Um, I think you should take care of this, Waluigi. I'm not very good with Piranha Plants."

Waluigi swallowed. "Waluigi has spent years dealing with Piranha Plants. Waluigi knows Piranha Plants. That Floral Fiasco is no Piranha Plant."

Several heads started to sprout out of the vines on the floor.

Alboort started to shiver harder. He floated a little up the stairs. "I really think you should handle this."

Waluigi rolled his eyes. "Fine." He jumped over the railing and landing in the midst. A jumped out of the way of a couple biting heads. "Waluigi will take care of this."

Alboort leaned over the railing. "I suggest that you should try attacking the smaller heads. It would be best with a Earthquake Stomp, so as to stop their attacks."

Waluigi nodded he jumped up and stomped on the nearest flower head.

Something strange happened. The massive flower head lowered itself towards the stomped head and began tugging at its vine until it was free.

Alboort adjusted his glasses. "Waluigi, try attacking the main head whenever it comes down to save a smaller head. Hopefully it won't pay any attention to you."

"Gotcha." Waluigi ran over and jumped on the same flower as before. When the giant head came down, he began kicking it like their was no tomorrow.

When the small head was raised up, though, its teeth missed Waluigi by only a fraction of an inch.

Alboort winced. "You'll still need to avoid the small heads' attacks."

"You don't say." Waluigi jumped to avoid two simultaneous attacks. He jumped on the same head as before, only it withered and died this time.

Alboort nodded. "I didn't think those smaller heads could last very long."

Waluigi scowled. "This is insane. Waluigi isn't used to fighting something that can literally attack him from all sides." He stomped another head into the ground at started beating the living daylights out of the large head.

This process continued until only one smaller head was left. Waluigi stomped it down, and as soon as the large head came down, he slammed his foot up into the flower's jaw.

The large flower head raised up and shrieked. It writhed around until it collapsed in a circle around Waluigi.

Waluigi climbed over the giant plant's stem and walked up to Alboort. "Waluigi took on the odds of eleven to one, and he won. Waluigi is number one!"

Alboort sighed in relief. "That was a lot harder than I expected."

Ashley walked down the steps slowly, scepter still in hand. She walked over and kicked the dying plant. She looked up at Waluigi and Alboort, and the smallest smile tipped her lips. "I suppose that I'll need to do my homework over e-mail." She span the scepter in her hands and tapped its end on the ground. "But I suppose I'll come. It's not like Wario will be able to pay me for a while."

Waluigi waved them all to the door. "Then let's all get the heck out of here. The cops could be here any minute."

Ashley's smile grew ever so slightly. "This is going to be even more fun than I expected."

Red changed from scepter to demon. He started hopping up the stairs. "I get our things packed."

---

Waluigi pulled the van out of the garage. "Okay. No cops in sight." He slammed on the acceleration. "And we are out of here! Goodbye, Diamond City!"

Alboort sat in the back while Ashley and Red sat up beside Waluigi. The Boo pulled out his laptop and started typing in his cyber-journal:

_Okay. Maybe things didn't turn out as smoothly as I had planned. At least we got out of this alive._

_I don't know where we're going to go from here, exactly. I do know, however, that this little gang will be making a big name for itself soon._

_Mission Complete,_

_signed,_

_-Waluigi_

_-Aboort_

---

And that's the end of chapter one. Don't fret, though, because Waluigi and the gang still have plenty of adventures left.

Now, Ashley was recruited in this chapter, and I even flat out said she would be early on. There will, in fact, be a new ally to the team in each chapter. I will not state them directly like in this chapter until the end of the big job. I will give this hint, however: Each member will be a character that hasn't received a whole lot of love from Nintendo, like the title character, Waluigi.

Now, why did I pick Ashley? Well, looking around on the Internet, fans of WarioWare have given me the impression that they think Ashley would be the Chuck Norris of Nintendo, or something like that (of course, in little girl form and using magic instead of kicks), if she ever had her own game. She also seemed to have a personality that would balance off Waluigi's nicely.

Anyways, it might be a couple days before the next chapter, so keep and eye out.

Later. And please review.


	11. Chapter 2 part 0

Chapter 2.0: A Personal Invitation

Alboort sat in a lawn chair on the beach, typing in his cyber-journal.

_Well, everything seems to be going well. After having Ashley join, Waluigi and I decided to take it easy and stay at Isle Delfino for a while. _

_Waluigi actually seems to have a real interest in playing Beach Volleyball, as he has even played with some of the local Piantas and Nokis. I wonder if he's just trying to hide his true intentions, though, as he has continually tried to get Ashley to join in, even having bought her a swimsuit. _

_Ashley, however, seems to have an aversion to most sunlight. Seeing how she spends most of her time inside and how a constant storm used to swirl around her house, I suppose this constant seclusion from sun might force her to burn easily. That doesn't stop Waluigi from trying, though. Even if he does convince her to come to the beach, she usually is carrying an umbrella wherever she goes._

_It should be interesting to see if Wal-_

Alboort paused. "Hm. What's this?" He moved his mouse and clicked on a little flashing message icon. A message with a bowser beacon at the top popped up on his screen. Alboort began to read:

_Dear Waluigi gang,_

_I happen to be throwing the Koopa Ball in a few days, and I was hoping I could get everyone on my list to attend. However, one guest is a bit persistent in not coming._

_I need someone to extend Princess Peach a "personal invitation". I would do it myself, but I'm needed at my castle to help prepare the ball._

_I happened to hear what happened at WarioWare Inc., and I must say that I am impressed with your thieving skills. Do you think you could give Peach my invitation? I would be willing to reward handsomely for your time and effort._

_-Bowser_

Alboort's glasses glinted as he shut his laptop. "Waluigi! Ashley! We have another job!"

---

Chapters like (number).0 means the prologue of a mission/location/chapter-thing. They do not have any real missions happening in them, so they don't count towards any real numbers, unlike Practice Makes Perfect.

Okay. I think I should explain the recurring Beach Volleyball joke. I was thinking about the Mario sports series and what would be next. An image of Mario, Luigi, Wario, and Waluigi popped into my head, discussing the next sport in a conference room. Mario would probably suggest something like Rugby or American Football, or something that requires guts and teamwork. Luigi would probably choose something like Croquet or Table Tennis, of some game that doesn't involve direct contact with other players. Wario would prefer the idea of wrestling, or he was probably the reason why motorbikes were introduced in Mario Kart Wii. Waluigi then would probably suggest Beach Volleyball, because it was nothing like the others' ideas and was good in his mind. The other three, though, would probably look at their out-of-shape frames and throw Waluigi out of the conference.

Now, why would Waluigi want Beach Volleyball? He's tall and can jump high, so gameplay wouldn't be hard for him. Also, as far as male Mario characters go, he could probably get away with wearing a swimsuit. On top of that, he's single, so it wouldn't be a problem for him to look at girls in swimsuits.

Enjoy and Review.


	12. Chapter 2 part 1

Chapter 2.1: Scope Out the Castle

A purple van zoomed over the Mushroom Kingdom roads. Waluigi shook his head as he drove. "Waluigi isn't sure about this kidnapping business. Stealing money is one thing, but stealing people?"

Alboort looked up from his computer. "Don't worry. Bowser does it all the time."

Waluigi gagged. "Well, Waluigi isn't exactly best friends with Bowser, if you know what Waluigi means."

Alboort shrugged. "He's paying us pretty well for this."

Waluigi sighed. "Waluigi supposes you're right."

Ashley simply stared out the passenger window. "So, we find this castle, bust in, pick this Princess Peachfuzz up, and get out. Isn't that right?"

Waluigi shook his head. "Waluigi doesn't like that idea. He might not be best pals with Mario and Luigi, but he has nothing against Princess Peach."

Alboort nodded. "Waluigi has a good point. We don't want any serious enemies. We're going to have to be a little sneakier about this than Bowser usually is."

Ashley held her chin. "That sounds boring."

Alboort adjusted his glasses. "Well, I admit that it may take a little longer than anticipated, but if things go right, you'll find that there will plenty of excitement." He looked out the window. "Oh, Waluigi, pull over here."

Waluigi turned towards a yellow-spotted mushroom-like house. "Let Waluigi guess. This is where we're staying."

Alboort nodded. "Of course. Our hideout can't be out of the ordinary."

Ashley opened her door. "Whatever. Let's just get moved in. This van is rather cramped."

Waluigi turned the van off and yawned. "Yeah. Waluigi's sleeping tonight, no disturbances allowed."

Alboort shook his head. "Actually, you're going to need to run an errand after we get things set up inside."

Waluigi groaned and leaned his forehead against the steering wheel.

---

Waluigi stepped out of the little mushroom house and into the evening. He pulled out his Thieftech. "Okay, Alboort, why is Waluigi running around instead of laying in bed?"

Alboort tapped a couple times on his keyboard. "I need you to take a couple pictures before you go to bed. It will help me come up with a plan for tomorrow."  
Waluigi rolled his eyes. "Fine. What does Waluigi need to take pictures of?"

Alboort stared at his computer screen. "Well, it would probably help if you took a picture of one of the Toad guards. I'd like to examine them a little better. A destination marker should be over an ideal place to hide while getting a good picture."

Waluigi flipped the Thieftech over his eye and looked up. Seeing the marker in the shape if his face, he put the Thieftech in his pocket and ran over a couple of small hills. After approaching a couple high hedges, he pulled out his vibrating Thieftech.

Alboort appeared on the screen. "Okay. Now, I need you to take a picture of that Toad guard just in front of you." He adjusted his glasses. "You do remember how to take a picture, don't you?"

"Of course Waluigi remembers how to take a picture. He just presses the 1 button to bring up the Thieftech, then he just presses the A or C button to take a picture."

Alboort nodded. "Don't forget that you can use the B button to zoom in and the Z button to zoom out. It's a nice trick to remember when taking pictures of moving targets like a Toad guard on patrol." He tapped a couple times on his keyboard. "Take a picture of that Toad guard while he;s still near you."

"Okay." Waluigi held his Thieftech up to his eye. He zoomed in on the toad and snapped a shot. He held the Thieftech in front of himself. "How's that for a picture, Alboort."

Akboort shook his head. "It's work worthy of its own gallery." He stared at his computer screen. "Well, these Toads certainly are interesting. Even though this looks to be an elite soldier, his structure appears to be very delicate." He held his chin. "I suppose this means we can't try a direct assault of any nature on the castle. This Toads would become casualties far too easily, and like we agreed before, we don't want to make any unnecessary enemies."

Waluigi nodded. "So, Waluigi assumes that he should avoid being seen at all costs because he's not allowed to beat the shrimps to a pulp."

"That would be correct, Waluigi." Alboort clicked his mouse a couple times. "However, we have more things to worry about than Toads." He searched his screen. "Do you see that building next to you?"

Waluigi looked to his right. "You mean this tower thing?"

"Yeah. There should be some ivy on it."

Waluigi waved one hand about. "Of course there's ivy on it. Ivy tends to grow on these castle places."

Alboort adjusted his bowtie. "Yes, well, you should be able to climb it by jumping up and pressing the C button.

Waluigi raised an eyebrow. "Well, it's a bit different from just jumping up." He looked up. "But Waluigi supposes that even his marvelous legs can't let him jump that high."

Alboort nodded sagely. "Once you get to the top of that tower, use your Thieftech to look around for a pink crystal sticking out of the castle."

"Will do." Waluigi stuck his Thieftech so it was over his ear and eye. He jumped up and quickly shimmied up the ivy vine. As he landed on the tower's roof, he looked around. When he saw a pink crystal, he tapped the photo capture button on his Thieftech. "Hey, Alboort, what are these things? Last time Waluigi checked, crystal don't naturally grow on castles."

"And you're correct. These aren't really crystals."

Waluigi raised an eyebrow. "Then what are they?"

"They're alarms beacons." Alboort tapped a couple of keys. "If anyone decides to turn one of these on, we'll have the whole castle on top of us."

Waluigi cringed. "Sounds like we need to get rid of them before we do anything."  
"My point exactly." Alboort stared at his computer screen. "But let's not worry about that right now. I've placed a destination marker over where Princess Peach's room should be. Follow it, and I'll give you further instruction there."

"All right. Waluigi's moving out." Waluigi looked up at the sky through his Thieftech. He jumped over several towers until he saw a balcony. He pushed the communication button on the Thieftech. "Hey, Alboort, Waluigi sees the princess, but why is she just standing out there like that?"

Alboort adjusted his glasses. "Well, you see, this Koopa Ball is an annual thing. Peach is probably just doing her part by just waiting for Bowser to come get her."

Waluigi raised an eyebrow. "Peach is... waiting for Bowser? Did Waluigi miss something here?"

Alboort shook his head. "Try getting to a position where you can actually see what's going on in that room. I think there's more than meets the eye here."

Waluigi sighed. "More work for Waluigi." He jumped over a couple more towers and turned left. He scanned over the room. "Okay. So what is Waluigi looking for?"

Alboort tapped a couple keys. "Well, the princess is a must. You should get a picture of both of the Mario brothers, too. And don't forget to zoom in on Peach's door. It could be vital to any attempts to infiltrate Peach's room."

"Okay. Just give Waluigi a minute." Waluigi zoomed in on Princess Peach and snapped her picture.

Alboort appeared in the screen. "Okay, so this is Peach. Our target. She's the ruler of Mushroom kingdom and has passed through Bowser's claws hundreds of times. Why Bowser didn't take an hour or so off to just grab her and go."

Waluigi shrugged. "Who knows what goes through that fat lizard's head." He pushed the button to take Alboort off the screen, and he zoomed in on Mario, who was pacing in Princess Peach's room, and snapped a picture.

Alboort appeared in the screen again. "Okay. So this is Mario. I've heard plenty about him, but I've never seen him before."

Waluigi gagged. "Be glad. Waluigi's met him, and that Mario is just a goody-two-shoes with an ego as big as a castle."

Alboort chuckled. "Says the man who thinks himself number one in everything." He tapped a couple keys and stared at his computer screen. "He has defeated Bowser quite a few times, though, so we shouldn't take him to lightly."

Waluigi waved the comment off. "Ah, let's just get on with it!" He flipped back to camera mode and zoomed in on Luigi, who was standing at one end of Mario's pacing lane.

Alboort appeared after Luigi's picture was taken. "This is... Luigi?"

Waluigi raised an eyebrow. "You sound surprised, Alboort."

"Well, I heard Luigi was a powerful ghost hunter." Alboort clicked a couple times on his mouse. "But this guy looks like nothing less than a grade-A coward."

Waluigi busted up laughing. "You better believe it, buster. That poor sucker's scared of his own shadow, and Waluigi should know."

Alboort adjusted his glasses. "Still, I have heard that he's saved his brother several times. I best suggest that we take on the two separately."

Waluigi nodded. "These two losers are always best when sitting beside each other. For some reason, the Green Bean is always there to save the Fireball last second."

Alboort nodded. "Remember to get a picture of Peach's door. I'll need to know about all security to make an accurate plan."

"Yeah. Yeah. Waluigi will take care of it." Waluigi turned Alboort off and zoomed in past the three humans. He focused for a minute before taking a picture of the double doors.

Alboort swallowed as he appeared on the screen. "Gadzooks! Four guards on just the inside. This security is tight!" He paused and adjusted his glasses. "Hold on. Take a picture of that image just above the picture, and make sure that you soon in real close."

Waluigi hesitated. "Okay. You're the brains of this outfit." Waluigi zoomed in on the painted embroidery above the doors. He snapped the picture and started communications up again. "What's so special about these mushroom paintings?"

Alboort tapped a couple keys. "I think we just found a hidden clue to Peach's vault."

Waluigi stared at Alboort curiously.

"It's an algorithmic thing. Riddles are puzzles as much as math problems." He tapped a couple keys. "It might take a while, but I should be able to figure it out."

Waluigi stretched. "So, Waluigi gets to come back to the hideout now, right?"

"Well, this should be just about it." Alboort looked up. "Oh, wait a minute! It looks like Mario's approaching Peach. You should probably get in close to listen in on their conversation."

Waluigi raised an eyebrow. "How is Waluigi supposed to do that?"

"There are ivy vines all over the walls. I'm sure you can grab onto them." He stared straight at Waluigi and adjusted his glasses. "Just be sure that you don't get caught."

Waluigi sighed as he removed Alboort from the screen. He hopped over to where he had first seen the balcony. He jumped and swam over to the wall, catching one of the ivy vines. He jumped between the ivy until he was just below the balcony. He adjusted the listening antenna on his Thieftech and paused.

Mario walked up to Peach. "I don't-a think Bowser's-a coming tonight, Princess."

Princess Peach turned to Mario. "Are you sure?"

Mario gave Peach the thumbs up. "Don't-a worry, Princess. Everything's-a okey dokey. Besides, Luigi and me will-a stay here until all of-a this is-a over." He turned around. "Isn't that-a right, Luigi?"

Luigi jumped in place. "Oh, um, uh, that's-a right, Mario. We'll-a be right here."

Mario turned back to Peach. "See-a, Princess? There's-a no way Bowser can-a get you without our-a knowing."

Peach fiddled with her fingers. "I suppose."

Mario yawned. "In the mean time-a, I need-a my sleep." He turned and walked out of the room with Luigi.

Alboort showed up and Waluigi's Thieftech. "Interesting. It seems that they are only expecting Bowser to come. I suppose we'll have to do something of a substitute."

Waluigi grimaced. "Waluigi is not wearing a Bowser suit."

"That's not what I meant." Alboort tapped a couple times on his keyboard. "Just come back to the hideout. I'll come up with a plan and tell it to you in the morning."

Waluigi yawned. "All right. Finally Waluigi gets to sleep." He hopped across ivy vines and made his way back to the hideout.

_Mission complete,_

_signed,_

_-Waluigi_

Ashley looked over Waluigi and Alboort's shoulders at their job notebook. "Can you really call taking a couple of pictures a mission?"

Waluigi turned to Ashley. "Hey, Waluigi put work into it, so it's a mission."

Alboort turned to Ashley as well. "Waluigi has a point. He did risk his safety to get these pictures."

Ashley shrugged. "All right. It just seemed a little too easy to me."

Waluigi stomped in front of Ashley. "It doesn't matter! A mission is a mission!"

Alboort floated in between the two. "All right, you two go to bed. Being a Boo, I don't need to sleep, so I'll take care of coming up with the plan overnight."

Waluigi grumbled as he walked towards his bed.

Ashley merely shrugged before strolling her way to her own bed.

Alboort sighed and wiped his brow. "This is going to be a long mission." He floated over to a table.

---

In case anybody was wondering why I thought Peach's Castle was a good second location, I have two simple reasons. One, Peach is a princess, so it's a good place to strike it rich as a thief. Two, everyone's probably saved Peach their fair share, but kidnapping the princess hasn't been done in any of the games. I thought that would be fun.

I'm afraid chapters might end up a little short in this chapter, but I hope not. Just a heads up.

Please enjoy and review.


	13. Chapter 2 part 2

Chapter 2.2: Alarm Jinx

About mid-morning the next day, Waluigi, Red, and Ashley were sitting at the kitchen table. Alboort was attending to his projector.

"Okay, I'm not going to lie to you guys. This whole job is going to be a little tougher than I originally planned." Alboort clicked a button, and a picture of a pink crystal showed up on the wall. "For instance, there's no way we can make any kind of move while these security alarms are active."

Waluigi raised his hand. "Wait! If Princess Peach has this great security system, then how was Bowser able to kidnap her so often?"

Alboort adjusted his glasses. "Well, Bowser usually just picks up the princess on her balcony. And let's not forget that Bowser isn't one to take caution in his actions." He turned to Ashley. "Fortunately, we now have someone on our team who can destroy these alarms without much difficulty."

Red hopped up. "You hear that, Ashley? We get to go out on a mission!"

Ashley nodded. "I suppose it will be of interest."  
"Well, if it doesn't interest you now, then remember that you are doing this so we can all benefit from a fat vault of gold."

Ashley tilted her head to one side. "Continue."

Alboort clicked his button, and a picture of a Toad appeared on the wall. "Now, I realize that I've said that we need to avoid killing any Toads, but let's not forget that these guys are swarming the castle. We'll need someone on the inside. It might be a bit tricky, but it's doable."

Alboort clicked the button again, changing the picture to the inside of Peach's bedroom door with four Toads standing in front of it. "Also, we need to clear this door of a majority of its guards. There should be a computer system or something that schedules which guards go where." He turned off the projector and turned on the lights. "I'm going to need to find that system and try to rig the schedule, so the door is clear."

Waluigi looked at Alboort, holding his chin. "Waluigi doesn't know. It's not like there are a lot of electrical cords that you can just slide through."

Alboort swallowed and tugged on his bowtie. "I know." He cleared his throat. "But we don't have much time. If we're going to kidnap Princess Peach for the Koopa Ball, we're going to have to kidnap her tonight." He started floating away. "You guys have one hour before we start."

---

Ashley walked out of the mushroom house and into the daylight. She shielded her eyes as she pulled a red Thieftech out of her pocket. "Do I really have to do this now?"

Alboort nodded as he appeared on the screen. "I realize that you aren't the biggest fan of sunlight, but you're up first." He tapped a couple times on his keyboard. "So, let's hurry and get down to business. Waluigi insisted that you were the best choice as a member for our team, so what do you bring to the table?"

Ashley raised an eyebrow. "Explain."

Alboort clicked a couple times on his mouse. "You know, like how you said that you would have taken the castle by storm. What sort of powers do you have?"

Ashley turned to Red and held out her hand. The small demon hopped up and turned into her scepter. She caught the scepter and held it up. "Well, I can press the B button to release a large blast of magic that should blow away most opponents."

Alboort nodded. "Well, that sounds powerful, but I'm afraid that's unnecessary for now."

Ashley looked at her scepter. "Well, by pressing the Z button, I can turn a victim into a toad, and I can hold down either button before casting to lock on."

Both of Alboort's eyebrows rose. "Um, I'm know you may not have visited Mushroom Kingdom before, but almost everyone already is a Toad."

Ashley quirked an eyebrow. "Strange. All I've seen are mushrooms."

Alboort scratched his head. "Well, the citizens are Toads all ready." He paused. "Oh, you mean a toad like a frog. Well, I'm afraid it might be a bit conspicuous if we just let you turn Toads into toads." He tapped a couple times on his keyboard. "But that lock-on ability should be handy in a battle. Do you have anything else though."

Ashley fished in her backpack and pulled out something that looked like a brown paper package. "Well, I do have these ready-to-go potion packs. By pressing the 2 button, I can throw one of these at an enemy. It will magically draw in an enemy to be an ingredient to complete the potion. I can then pick up the potion to restore my health."

Alboort nodded. "Those are all great, but we're not looking to fight yet." He clicked a couple times on his mouse. "Do you know any spells that can levitate things?"

Ashley thought for a moment. "Well, any enemies that haven't noticed me, or anything that isn't rooted or bolted down, for that matter, I can pick up by pressing and holding the C button."

"Really?" Alboort pressed a large button, and a Trainer-bot walked out of the mushroom house. "Let's see you pick up this Trainer-bot. It's not too heavy, but it's not something you can typically see a fifteen-year-old girl picking up."

Ashley spun her scepter in her hand. "Very well." She pointed her scepter at the Trainer-bot, and it glowed blue. Soon, the Trainer-bot was floating about six feet in the air.

Alboort watched his monitor. "Well, that is pretty impressive."

Ashley shrugged. "It is simple enough. By pressing the B button with an enemy in my magical grasp, I can throw them to wherever I want." That said, she waved her scepter, and the Trainer-bot went flying."

Alboort rubbed his chin. "Well, I'm afraid you're going to have to only pick up items for now." He tapped a couple of keys on his keyboard. "Well, that's a fair entourage of attack abilities. Let's see how you do with moving around, though."

Ashley nodded. "I would like to get this over with and get out of the sun."

Alboort adjusted his glasses. "Very well. I presume that you walk with the control stick and can run by shaking the Wii remote."

Ashley shrugged. "Isn't that how everyone moves?"

Alboort flinched. "Well, yes. But it's always good to check."

Ashley sighed. "Very well. I suppose I should get going to the castle, then."

Alboort adjusted his glasses. "Yes. That's probably a good idea."

Ashley closed her Thieftech and placed it into her pocket. She turned to the castle and started running.

Red's head appeared in the scepter's crystal. "Hey, Ashley, was it really such a good idea to team up with these guys."

Ashley shrugged as she ran. "Well, they don't seem to be the most exciting people, but at least they're paying us."

Red frowned. "I was talking about as far as your schoolwork is concerned. Not only do you have to do it over e-mail, but you also have to balance it with these crazy jobs."

Ashley stared at Red. "Red, who's the girl who can rule the world and still finish all her homework?"

Red sighed. "You are, Ashley."

Ashley nodded and looked forward. "Besides, if my teacher even thinks of flunking me before I get my homework in, I've always wanted a fork to go with that spoon."

As Ashley approached the nearest tower, her Thieftech started to vibrate.

"I'll talk to you later." Red's face disappeared.

Ashley pulled out her Thieftech and flipped it open. "What is it?"  
Alboort adjusted his glasses. "Well, it's just that your job is to get rid of all the alarm beacons, but I just remembered that they're pretty high up."

Ashley stared at the Boo. "Well, I suppose I'll just have to make up for your mistake." She looked around. "These mushrooms should do nicely."

Alboort raised an eyebrow. "Well, I admit that there are a lot of mushrooms in Mushroom Kingdom, but I don;t see how they can help you. That is, unless you're thinking of brewing up a flying potion."

"Don't be an idiot. Flying potions are far too biologically confounded to be a reasonable source for flight." Ashley shook her head. "But I can interact with these plants by pressing the C button."

"Interesting. Well, let's see this interaction."

Ashley pointed her scepter at the mushroom. "Floris Giganticus!"

The mushroom grew up to be about five feet tall and fifteen feet across.

"Gadzooks!" Alboort couldn't tear his eyes away from his computer screen. "To think you could do that to any plant you wanted to. That mushroom should supply plenty of bounce now."

Ashley cradled her scepter. "You'll find that I'm just full of surprises. I can interact with a variety of things using the C button."

Alboort adjusted his glasses. "Well, you can surprise me some more later. Right now, you need to get up on that tower."

Ashley nodded. "I watched you training Waluigi, but I can only double jump, however."

"Hey, I can only jump once. As long as you can get up on that mushroom it'll do." Alboort tapped a couple of keys. "I'll tell you what to do once you're up there."

Ashley nodded and jumped up. The mushroom squished beneath her feet, followed by thrusting her skyward. As she landed on the tower's roof, she looked back at her Thieftech. "Now, what am I doing up here?"

"Like I said before, your job is to destroy the security beacons." Alboort tapped a couple of keys. "They should look like a few giant pink crystals sticking out of the walls, six in total."

Ashley looked up. "I can see one from here." She held up her scepter. "Should I just blast it from here?"

"No! Even if your magic is powerful, we can't guarantee that it will take out that beacon in one shot." Alboort clicked his mouse a couple times and looked at his computer screen. "Not to mention that a beacon randomly exploding just isn't natural."

Ashley twisted her scepter in her hand as she stared at the beacon. "Then how do you suggest I break them?"

Alboort tapped a couple keys and adjusted his glasses. "Well, there should be a Toad statue on top of that tower."

Ashley looked around.

Alboort palmed his face. "It should be a stone figure of something that looks like a humanoid mushroom."

"Oh, I see that."

Alboort nodded. "Now, I just want-"

"You want me to pick that statue up with the C button. Then you want to use the B button to throw it at that beacon," Ashley interrupted. "Why couldn't you just tell me all of this before I left the house this morning?"

Alboort pushed his glasses back up on his face. He cleared out his throat. "Well, I guess that just leaves one more thing." He tapped a couple of keys. "You'll need to be able to jump between the towers. Now, Waluigi can triple jump and swim in the air, and I, being a Boo, can float from place to place."

Ashley sighed. "After double jumping, I just have to press the A button one more time and hold it, and Red will turn into my broomstick, letting me glide from place to place."

Both of Alboort's eyebrows rose. "It seems you just have an answer for everything."  
Ashley shrugged. "Hey, I wasn't number one at WarioWare without reason."

"Yes, well... um." Alboort fiddled with his hands. "I guess I'll just let you get to it, then."

"You do that." Ashley flipped her Thieftech off and stuck it in her pocket. She turned to the statue and pointed her scepter at it.

The Toad statue lifted off the roof. It floated slowly towards the edge of the roof.

Ashley took a minute to aim. She thrust her scepter forward, and the statue flew towards the pink crystal.

Both the statue and the beacon blew up on impact. The little shards littered the ground.

Ashley looked down at the mess. "Well, it's a little crude in my opinion, but it certainly is effective."

Red appeared in the scepter's crystal. "Um, Ashley, maybe we should get moving. We do have five more alarms to take care of."

Ashley glanced at the red crystal. "You're just worried about the guards that are going to gather around that mess, aren't you?"

Red laughed nervously. "Well, Alboort did say that we shouldn't get caught."

Ashley looked down at the glittering mess on the ground. "I suppose you're right." She jumped up and sat on her Red-turned-broom, gliding towards the next tower.

Several towers later, another pink crystal was sticking out of the wall.

Red turned around in the red crystal. "I think we should look for another one of those Toad statues. Alboort probably wouldn't tell us to use those unless he had a reason."

"Well, you certainly seem trusting of someone that you were just questioning the authority of only a little while ago."

Red rubbed the back of his head. "Well, it's not like we've really left Diamond City before."

Ashley tilted her head to one side in thought. "I suppose that's a good point. For now, we'll play by there rules." She pointed her scepter at a nearby Toad statue and flung it at the alarm. A similar reaction occurred as with the first event. "This really is too easy."

Red shrugged. "I suppose. But it's going to put gold in our pockets soon enough."

"True." Ashley ran over to the edge of the roof and jumped to the next tower. She jumped over nine more towers, throwing a Toad statue at a crystal every third tower.

Ashley landed gently on her twelfth tower. She looked up. "So, I guess this is the last alarm we have to deal with, huh?"

Red appeared in the scepter's crystal. "It seems that way." He looked around. "But I don't see any Toad statues around here."  
Ashley looked around. "Not that I see."

Red began to fret. "What should we do?"

Ashley held up her scepter, a smile playing at the tip of her mouth. "We do this the way we were supposed to do this."

Red grimaced. "Well, uh, um..." He turned around in the crystal. "Oh, wait! What about that statue?"

Ashley looked up to see the statue of a plump man with a large mustache. She inhaled heavily and sighed in disbelief. "Well, I guess it's a statue." She pointed her scepter at the statue. "It's a real killjoy, though." She lifted the statue and threw it at the crystal, destroying both.

Ashley pulled out her Thieftech. "All right, Alboort. I destroyed the alarm beacons."

"Thanks, Ashley," said Alboort. "This will allow us to continue with our missions."

Ashley shrugged. "You're welcome, I guess." She looked around. "Can I come back, now? I'm not used to this much sunlight, and I'm feeling a little faint."

Alboort adjusted his glasses. "Sure. We won't need your talents for a while, anyways."

"Thank you." Ashley hopped of the tower roof and started running back to the hideout.

_Mission Complete,_

_signed,_

_-Ashley and Red_

---

So, I guess that's our new team member. Her missions are pretty much going to revolve around beating people up and destroying defensive objects. However, she will also be a plot centerpoint, so keep an eye out for her.

Speaking of allies, there's going to be a new ally joining at the end of this chapter. Anybody have a guess as to who it is?

Anyways, I'll see you guys later.

Please, review.


	14. Chapter 2 part 3

Chapter 2.3: Comrade Consultation

Waluigi stepped out of the mushroom house. He pulled out his Thieftech and flipped it open. "Okay. Now, what's Waluigi supposed to be doing?"

Alboort adjusted his glasses. "Well, before I can go in and mess with their guard schedule, I'm going to need someone to go inside and scope out the interior."

Waluigi's jaw hung a little loose. "Okay. Now, how is Waluigi supposed to do that? He's not a common guest in this area. Well, sure, Waluigi and Peach once rode as partners in a Mario Kart Double Dash tournament once, but it's not like one of those is coming up next weekend or something."

Alboort leaned forward. "Press the (-) button to access your gadget menu. I've added a new item that should help you out."

Waluigi fished around in his pack before pulling out a strange white and purple cloth. He blinked a couple times. "Wait a minute. You're not telling Waluigi to actually walk around in a Toad costume, are you?"

"Well, it's the only way we can get anyone into the castle without suspicion." Alboort tapped a couple times on his keyboard. "Toads aren't exactly stupid, but they tend to be naive and very trusting of others. I doubt that they'll stop a Toad they haven't seen before."

Waluigi gestured at the cloth suit. "But how is Waluigi supposed to fit in the costume? He's about seven feet tall, and Toads are usually only about two feet tall."

"Don't worry. I've made this suit special so you can both fit comfortably in the suit and look like a real Toad." Alboort adjusted his glasses. "Now put the costume on. We'll need to hurry with this if we're to keep on our own schedule."  
Waluigi scowled at the costume, but he started sticking his leg into the pants. In little more than a minute, a Toad with dark purple spots stood where Waluigi had been. "Hey, Waluigi doesn't look half bad as a Toad."

"That's another thing, Waluigi. You need to quit referring to yourself in the third person."  
"What?" Toad Waluigi shook his Thieftech. "But Waluigi always refers to himself in the third person. He is number one, after all."  
Alboort sighed. "Well, you're going to have to think of another name, at least. Your own name would give you away in a heartbeat."

Toad Waluigi grinned. "Well, Waluigi does have a unique name. However, he's sure he can think of something."

Alboort tapped a couple keys and stared at his computer. "Okay. You'll want to get moving, now. I'll tell you the rest of the mission once you're inside."

"Okay. Waluigi's heading out now."

"Oh, one more thing." Alboort clicked his mouse a couple times. "Even though the Toads shouldn't give you any trouble, I'm afraid you can't attack, triple jump, or use most of your thieving skills while in this costume."

Toad Waluigi's eyes grew wide. "What!!! How's Waluigi supposed to get into the castle?!"

Alboort pulled himself back into his chair. "Well, you're a Toad, now, so you can just walk through the front doors. And you can still interact with some things through use of the C button."

Toad Waluigi scowled. "Fine. Waluigi's headed in now."

Alboort nodded. "Just remember to come up with a new name before you get into the castle."

"Yeah. Yeah. Whatever." Toad Waluigi flipped his Thieftech shut and stuck it in his vest pocket. He started walking towards the castle.

A few minutes later, Toad Waluigi walked up to the front door of Peach's Castle.

Two Red Toads crossed their spears in front of the doors.

Toad Waluigi jumped back. "What's the big idea?"

"Who are you?" asked the Toad to the left. "I haven't seen you before."

The Toad to the right nodded. "It's nothing personal, but we have to keep security tight for now."

Waluigi opened his mouth and stopped. _Alboort said Waluigi should use a different name than Waluigi. Should Waluigi use a name like Toad, a guard number, or a creative name?_ He scratched his chin for a minute.

The Red Toad to the left glared at Toad Waluigi. "What's wrong with you? Who are you?"

Waluigi flinched. A creative name would probably do Waluigi the best. "Igiulaw is Igiulaw. He's new here."

"Igiulaw, huh?" The Red Toad to the left turned to his partner. "That sounds like a strange name. I've never heard anything like that before."

The Red Toad to the right scratched his chin. "Maybe he's from one of the southern kingdoms. It would explain his darker coloration."

Toad Waluigi's eyes glinted. "Yeah. Igiulaw came here to see Princess Peach."

The Red Toad to the left huffed. "Annoying southerners! They must have sent him to try to show us up."

The Red Toad to the right shook his head. "Oh, come on. You know the Toads from the southern kingdoms are peaceful. He'd more likely get every guard in this place to start a conga line than actually take a guard position." He pushed the other one to his side and opened the doors. "Don't mind him, Igiulaw. Ted's not a morning person." He chuckled. "Even if it's this late in the morning."

Toad Waluigi walked through the doors. "Thanks, uh..."

The cheery Red Toad laughed. "Name's Tony. I'll see around, Igiulaw."

Toad Waluigi nodded and walked through, the doors shutting behind him. His pulled out his vibrating Thieftech. "What's up, Alboort?"

Alboort shook his head. "For someone as clever as you, I can't believe how uncreative you are. Honestly! Igiulaw is just Waluigi backwards!"

Toad Waluigi waved the comment off. "Hey, it got Waluigi into the castle, right?"

Alboort palmed his face. "I suppose. We're just really lucky that Toads are as trusting as they are."

Toad Waluigi laughed. "Okay, now that Waluigi is inside, what's he supposed to do now?"

Alboort looked up. "Oh, right." Alboort tapped a couple times on his keyboard. "Well, due to high security, the Toad guards for Peach's door have been given a specific pass code that includes five words. Each word has been given to each color of Toad, so that even if an enemy were to use a costume to get inside, they'd need to get all the words and say them in correct order."

Toad Waluigi raised an eyebrow. "That doesn't sound too hard to Waluigi."

"Yes, well, Goombas and Koopas aren't the most patient of creatures." Alboort clicked a couple times on his mouse. "And _Igiulaw_ needs to talk to all those Toads and get the passwords. I want you to call me as soon as you get all the passwords, so I can tell you how to use them."

Toad Waluigi nodded. "Okay. Waluigi... uh... Igiulaw will get started now."

"I suggest you start with a Purple Toad." Alboort adjusted his glasses. "They are more likely to trust you than the other colors."

"Whatever. Igiulaw will talk to you later." Toad Waluigi flipped his Thieftech shut and placed it in his vest. He looked around and started walking down one direction.

It was several minutes before Toad Waluigi saw another Toad. To his surprise, it was a Purple Toad. Sure, it's coloration was rather lighter than Toad Waluigi's, but it was a purple nonetheless.

Toad Waluigi walked up to the Purple Toad. "Hey there."

The Purple Toad jumped, holding his spear out. "Halt! Who goes there?"

Toad Waluigi held his hands defensively. "Hey, calm down. Igiulaw is just Igiulaw."

The Purple Toad opened one of his eyes. He lowered his spear and sighed in relief. "Don't scare me like that! It's enough that I have to be stuck here, waiting for Bowser, when I should be running around. I don't need people surprising me."

Toad Waluigi rubbed the back of his cap. "Sorry about that. Igiulaw is new around here."

The Purple Toad grinned. "Oh yeah. I know what that's like." He looked down both ways and lowered his voice. "Truth be told, though, this is probably the worst time to get recruited." He rubbed his temples. "I don't even know why they stuck me in the hallways. My running skills are best out in open areas."

Toad Waluigi laughed. "Well, Igiulaw isn't exactly a new guard. He just came up from a southern kingdom and really needs to talk to the Princess Peach."

"Oh, is that all?" The Purple Toad relaxed and laughed back. "Well, I guess you're going to need the passwords then. Well, we Purple Toads were entrusted with the final word. Everything!"

Toad Waluigi raised an eyebrow. "Everything? Igiulaw doesn't know if he can remember all that makes up everything."

"No no no no no no. The word 'everything'." The Purple Toad rubbed the back of his head. "I guess it is a weird password. Listen, you're going to need the other four words, if you want to talk to the princess. I'd try a Yellow Toad, next. They don't think much about whether talking to strangers is dangerous or not. I think one should be in the kitchen."

Toad Waluigi nodded. "Thanks. Igiulaw will go there." He started walking, but soon stopped. "Where is the kitchen, anyways?"  
"Oh, it should be the third or fourth door on the right from here." The Purple Toad turned around. "Well, I'm off." He started running down the hall.

Toad Waluigi walked down the hall, counting the doors. At his third door, he turned to it and opened the door. "Hello, anybody in here?"

The room Toad Waluigi had walked into had several large tables sitting in the middle of it. A large soup pot was sitting over a fire inside a chimney in one corner. A Yellow Toad was sitting on one of the tables, his head drooping slightly.

Toad Waluigi walked up to the table with the Yellow Toad. "Hey, buddy. You awake?"

The Yellow Toad stirred slightly, He rubbed his eyes and looked at Toad Waluigi. He blinked a couple times and yawned. "Do I know you?"

Toad Waluigi jumped up on a chair. "It's not likely. Igiulaw got here only a while ago."

The Yellow Toad laid down on the table. "Oh." He turned around until he was facing Toad Waluigi. "So, what are you doing in the kitchen? I know I was told to guard lunch, but I don't remember anybody else being scheduled to be down here."

"Well, Igiulaw needs to talk to Princess Peach." Toad Waluigi pointed at the Yellow Toad. "And Igiulaw was told you knew one of the passwords."

The Yellow Toad yawned. "Oh, is that all." He sat up again. "Well, I don't understand the password, myself. But maybe it will make sense to you." He smacked his lips a couple times and scratched his cap. "It's 'beats'. Whatever that means."

"Beats?" Toad Waluigi paused to take in the word. "Are you sure?"

"Yeah, I may not be the most active Toad, but I never forget a thing." He laid down on his back and waved his hand at Toad Waluigi. "Now, get going. I'm on guard duty."

Toad Waluigi hopped off his chair and walked of the kitchen. "Let's see here. 'Beats' and 'everything', huh? Well, Waluigi knows that 'everything' is last, but where does the 'beats' go?" He stopped at the bottom of a stairway. "Well, Waluigi is going to go upstairs." He jumped up on the first step and continued on that way.

As Toad Waluigi reached the top of the stairs, he found himself at spearpoint. He jumped back. "Hey! Watch where you're pointing that thing!"

The spear withdrew, and the Blue Toad holding it adjusted his glasses. "My apologies, good sir. I'm afraid my reflexive reactions may not be their most rational at this point. Waiting for Bowser to preform his abduction of the princess always puts me on edge."

Toad Waluigi eyed the Blue Toad warily. "Uh, hi. Igiulaw is Igiulaw."

The Blue Toad held out his hand. "Salutations, Mr. Igiulaw. My name is Gary. May I ask what your business is here?"

Toad Waluigi hopped up stairs until he was on the same floor as Gary. "Okay, Gary, Igiulaw just came up from a southern kingdom, and he really needs to talk to the Princess Peach."

"Interesting." Gary held his chin in thought. "Then I suppose you'll need the five passwords to get into the princess's room." He stared at Toad Waluigi for a moment. "Well, I suppose I should test you to know if you can be trusted with the Blue Toads' password." He rubbed his chin. "Do you have any of the other passwords?"

"Well, Igiulaw did get the passwords from a Purple Toad and a Yellow Toad." Toad Waluigi scratched his head and smiled wryly. "So does that mean Igiulaw can be trusted."

Gary tapped his chin. "Well, I can't say that those two have the best judgment." He pushed his glasses further up. "But it's not like we Blue Toads received a very difficult password. I mean, 'at'? How can that qualify as a password? It's only two letters long."

Toad Waluigi shrugged. "Who knows, but thanks anyway."

Gary nodded. "If you need to get the Red Toads' password, you need to go up another floor." He chuckled. "From all their attitude, you would think they'd take the front line. Instead, they try to get as far away from the fight as possible." He turned and started walking away. "I'll see you around."

"Bye-bye." Toad Waluigi walked down the hallway. "Now, where are those stairs?" He chuckled to himself. "Man, Waluigi can't believe that he can trick these Toads so easily." He stopped when he heard something around the corner.

Another Blue Toad walked around the corner. He turned to see Toad Waluigi. "Hey, how's it going." He paused. "Oh, wait. What's your security clearance?"

Toad Waluigi jumped. "Um, well, Igiulaw has received three of the five passwords."

The Blue Toad raised an eyebrow. "Oh, really? What's the Blue Toads' Password?"

_Hmm. This guy isn't going to let Waluigi through until he hears that password._ Toad Waluigi held his chin. _Let's see. Waluigi knows three passwords, but what was the password that Gary guy told Waluigi? Was it 'at', 'everything', or 'beats'?_

The Blue Toad took a firm grip on his spear. "Well?"

Toad Waluigi held his hands up. "Hold on a minute! Igiulaw is thinking!" _Okay, 'everything' is supposed to be last, though Waluigi distinctly remembers hearing it first. Waluigi also remembers that that Gary guy said the Blue Toads' wasn't very difficult._ "It's 'at', right?"

The Blue Toad relaxed and lowered his spear. "Okay. Sorry about having to quiz you. You just can't be too careful." He turned and started walking down the wall. "Don't mind me." He scurried off.

Toad Waluigi started walking down the other way. "Now, where's that staircase?" It took him a moment, but he soon found the stairs and started hopping up them.

Toad Waluigi was soon on the third floor. He looked around before walking down the hall. Soon, he saw a Red Toad walking towards him. "Hey, Red Toad."

The Red Toad jumped, flipping his spear into an offensive position. "Hold on! Stay you are! Backup! Backup!"

Toad Waluigi jumped. "Wait! Igiulaw is just a visitor from the south. He needs to talk to Princess Peach."

The Red Toad, shakily, stepped towards Toad Waluigi. "Okay. Why do you need to talk to the princess?"

"Um, well, why does Igiulaw need to talk to Princess?" _Waluigi needs to figure this out before he can get past this Toad. Should Waluigi say that he needs to ask a favor? Maybe he should try avoiding the question all together? Or maybe Waluigi should say he wants a job?_

Toad Waluigi looked at the Red Toad. _Well, it's not likely that guy is going to believe Waluigi came up here just for a favor, especially since Waluigi is here by himself._

The Red Toad held his spear a little higher. "Why are you here? Tell me!"

_And avoiding the question is out of the question._ Toad Waluigi took a hold of his chin. _The job might not be a bad idea._ _Those Red Toads at the front door did suggest something about Waluigi becoming a guard._ He held his hand up to the Red Toad. "Igiulaw was just coming to see about getting a guard job. Everybody here seems to be going nuts about this Bowser thing."

The Red Toad lowered his spear and wiped his brow. "Oh, is that all? And you're right. Things are getting crazy around here. But if you want to get into the princess's room, you're going to need the Red Toads' password: Mario!"

"Mario?"

The Red Toad nodded. "He's the best." He held his spear up. "By the way, how much of the passcode do you have?"

Toad Waluigi held up four fingers. "Four words. The passwords from the Red, Blue, Yellow, and Purple Toads."

The Red Toad smiled. "Well, I guess that you only need the Green Toads' password." He frowned and furrowed his brow. "Unfortunately, most of the Green Toads work on the outside." He brightened and jumped up and down. "But there should be one on the fourth floor. He's more interested in his music than his guard duties, though, so you should get his password easily." He turned around. "Come on. I'll show you to the next set of stairs."

The two Toads walked until they reached a set of ascending stairs.

The Red Toad turned to Toad Waluigi. "It should be smooth sailing from here. Just tell anybody you meet that Jerry sent you up."

Toad Waluigi nodded. "See you around."

Jerry waved after Toad Waluigi. "Maybe I'll see you on guard duty some time."

Toad Waluigi just continued up the stairs. As soon as he was on the fourth floor, he looked around. He started walking down the hall. After making a full round, he started walking the other way.

After Toad Waluigi finished his couterclockwise round, he stopped and scratched his head. "Waluigi doesn't get it. That Jerry guy said there should be a Green Toad up here, but Waluigi hasn't seen anyone up here." He sighed and pulled out his Thieftech. "Maybe Alboort will kn-"

Toad Waluigi fell backwards as the stone tile he had been standing on rose up.

A Green Toad popped his head out of the new hole. "Whew! I can't believe how hard it was to dig up through a wall for four stories."

Toad Waluigi rubbed his cap as he sat up. "Ow. What happened?"

The Green Toad jumped and turned around. "Who are you?"

Toad Waluigi stood up and brushed himself off. "Igiulaw is Igiulaw."

"Igiulaw? Sounds southern." The Green Toad held out his hand. "My name's Jack."

Toad Waluigi shook Jack's hand. "Say, Igiulaw did come up from the south, and he really needs to talk to Princess Peach."

Jack smiled. "And you need the Green Toads' password to get in there. Right?" He looked over at the hole in the floor. He walked over to the dislodged stone tile. "Well, if you promise not to tell anyone that I was late for my shift, then sure."

Toad Waluigi laughed. "Sure thing. Igiulaw can keep a secret."

Jack started pulling the tile over to the hole. "Well then. My password is 'Bowser'. A little strange, I know, but Mario must have had some reason to pick it."

Toad Waluigi raised an eyebrow. "Mario?"

Jack nodded. "Mario came up with the password." He prepared to drop the stone tile onto the hole.

"Hold on a minute!"

Jack jumped, but he caught the stone tile before it fell.

A Green Toad girl with dark green spots and a large green ponytail pulled herself out of the hole.

Jack stared at the Green Toad girl. "Jill! What are you doing here?"

Jill pulled out a brown paper bag. "You forgot your lunch. Mom told me to bring it to you." She paused and looked over at Toad Waluigi. "Oh, who's your friend?"

Jack gestured at Toad Waluigi. "Um, this is Igiulaw. He's from a southern kingdom."

Jill's eyes brightened as she walked over to Toad Waluigi. "Oh, a southern gentleman, I presume."

Jack rolled his minuscule eyes. "Jill, go back home. We're on duty, now."

Jill sighed. "Fine." She turned back to Toad Waluigi. "See you around." She walked over to the and jumped in.

Jack dropped the stone tile into place. He looked up at Toad Waluigi. "Jill. She's great sister, but a horrible man-chaser." He pressed a button on his pickax, and it transformed into a spear. "Well, I'm on duty now. The princess's room is just one more floor up." He saluted. "See you around."

Toad Waluigi watched Jack walk away. He turned the other way and started walking. As soon as he reached the next flight of stairs, he ran up halfway and pulled out his Thieftech. "Okay, Alboort, Waluigi has the five passwords."

Alboort showed up on the screen. "I was a little worried, there. But it seems like you have been able to get around without revealing yourself." He tapped a couple of keys. "Anyways, I was able to intercept some communications amongst the guards, and it seems that the passwords were arranged so that they should be told to the guards in rainbow order. After you gain access, ask for a job as a guard. It's necessary for the kidnapping tonight."

Toad Waluigi laughed. "You know, Waluigi actually got up here by telling one of the guards that Waluigi was going to become a guard."

Alboort paused. "Well, that's... useful." He clicked a couple times on his mouse. "Look, just get this mission done with. The longer you stay there, the more risk you're getting into."  
Toad Waluigi looked up the stairs. "Okay. Waluigi's heading up."

Alboort nodded. "I'll stay on the line, so I can hear everything that's going on."

Toad Waluigi gently folded his Thieftech and stuck it in his pocket. He walked up the stairs to see two large doors.

Five Toads, one of each color, stood in front of the doors. They all turned to Toad Waluigi. "Passwords, please."

Toad Waluigi jumped at the sudden attention. _Well, Waluigi wasn't expecting that. Now, let's see. The five passwords were 'everything', 'beats', 'at', 'Mario', and 'Bowser'. Alboort also said that the passwords were to be told in rainbow order. But Waluigi can't remember what order the passwords go in. Was it 'Everything beats at Mario Bowser._

Toad Waluigi shook his head. _That doesn't even make any sense._ Toad Waluigi took hold of his chin. _Besides, 'everything' is supposed to come last._ _The only sentences that would make sense are 'Bowser beats Mario at everything' and 'Mario beats Bowser at everything'._ He rubbed his cap. _Well, given how Mario is an egomaniac and came up with the password, Waluigi guesses there's only one possible answer._ "Mario beats Bowser at everything!"

The Toad guards looked amongst each other. The huddled together and started talking. They soon separated and looked at Toad Waluigi. "That is correct." They started pushing the doors open. "Enter."

Toad Waluigi walked pass the Toads and into the room. The doors shut to leave him inside with the four interior Toad guards, an older Toad, and Princess Peach.

The older Toad looked stared at Toad Waluigi. He adjusted his spectacles. "Well, now. Who do we have here?"

Toad Waluigi rubbed the back of his cap. "Well, Igiulaw is Igiulaw."

"Igiulaw, huh?" The older Toad walked up to Toad Waluigi. "That certainly is a curious name."

Toad Waluigi flinched as the older Toad's stare buffeted him. "Well, um, Igiulaw is from a southern kingdom. He came up here to get a job as a guard."

The older Toad crossed his arms and eyed Toad Waluigi. "Well, I don't know. Taking on new guards during such a time as now isn't usually part of protocol."

Princess Peach stood up and walked over and patted the older Toad on the head. "Now, Toadsworth. If Igiulaw came up all this way to get a job, then I think it's only fitting if we let him become a guard."

Toadsworth looked up at the princess and back at Toad Waluigi. "Well, I suppose it will help increase security."

Toad Waluigi looked between Princess Peach and Toadsworth. "So, does that mean Igiulaw gets the job."

Toadsworth adjusted his spectacles. "Well, it will take some doing, but I suppose we could schedule you in to start some time tonight."

"You won't regret this." Toad Waluigi stuck his hand in the air, holding up one finger. "Igiulaw is number one, after all."

Toadsworth looked at Toad Waluigi. "Well, we'll just have to see about that. I'll have you contacted as soon as we have you scheduled."

Toad Waluigi walked back to the door. "Well, Igiulaw should probably get going then." He stopped as the door. "Oh, hold on a minute." He pulled a rose out of his vest and threw it, so it stuck in Princess Peach's dresser. He nodded and walked out. As he started walking down the stairs, he pulled out his Thieftech.

Alboort adjusted his glasses. "Well, that went rather smoothly. I can't believe they didn't at least quiz you for the job."

"Well, Waluigi just wants to come back and get out of this costume."

Alboort adjusted his glasses. "Yes, well, I just want to ask you ask you if you really think it was such a good idea to leave your 'calling card' with Princess Peach."

Toad Waluigi rolled his eyes. "What? Would you have preferred that Waluigi gave the rose to Jill?"

Alboort stared at Toad Waluigi. "Who's Jill?"

Toad Waluigi continued down the stairs, beginning to close his Thieftech. "Later, Alboort."

"Waluigi! Who's Jill?"

_Mission complete,_

_signed,_

_-Waluigi_

---

The big inspiration for this is just that I thought it'd be funny to think about the ever tall Waluigi being stuck in a short little Toad suit.

See you later, and please review.


	15. Chapter 2 part 4

Chapter 2.4: Patrol Control

Alboort floated out of the mushroom house. He pulled out his Thieftech and flipped it open. "You know, I really have to thank you for your work earlier."

"Yeah. Waluigi always does good work." Waluigi held his chin. "By the way, why are you going into the castle if Waluigi already has a job on the inside?"

"Well, Waluigi, even though you did get a job, I'm going to have to have to make sure your new job will be advantageous to us." Alboort adjusted his glasses. "I'll just need to get out up to the main guard server on the second floor and hack it to make sure I get the scheduling right."

Waluigi nodded. "But how do you plan to get up there? Waluigi didn't see a whole lot of electrical circuits in the castle for you to just float around in."

Alboort swallowed. "I know. I'm going to have to disappear, by use of the 2 button, to avoid any sort of detection. I could probably disappear after someone sees me, seeing how the alarms are down, but it's not like I can take as long as I want with disappearing."  
Waluigi waved the comment off. "Look, Egghead, just get up to the computer, and we can talk there."

Alboort nodded. "Probably the best plan for now."

Waluigi smiled. "Just remember that acting might be better than thinking."

Alboort nodded. "Right. I'll talk to you when I get up there." He flipped his Thieftech closed and placed it in a pocket. He started floating towards the castle.

As Alboort approached the castle, he started looking back and forth. He had to disappear a couple of times before even getting near the front door.

Alboort stopped. "Oh, it's going to be a little difficult to get past those guys." He scratched his head for a minute. "I'll need to draw their attention away from the door, somehow." He paused and reached into his pack. "Well, my bombs can probably make enough noise to draw them away, but I'll need to detonate it at a distance where I can disappear and have those guards walk past me."

Alboort looked around a couple times before deciding on a tower. He stuck a bomb on its edge and floated away from the tower. He activated the bomb and vanished.

The two Red Toads in front of the two massive doors jumped.

The one to the right turned to the other. "Did you hear that, Ted?"

The Red Toad to the left nodded. "Sure did. Let's go check it out?"

The two Rad Toads jumped up and ran towards where the bomb had exploded, past the invisible Alboort.

Alboort reappeared and rushed into the castle. He looked around and started heading down the hall. He disappeared a couple more times when a couple Purple Toads walked past. He kept floating on until he came to the first flight of stairs. He floated up them as quickly as possible.

As soon as Alboort reached the second floor, he scurried down the hall, disappearing only once as a Blue Toad walked past. He soon came across a door that had a picture of a computer on it and floated inside.

Alboort took in a deep breath and sighed. He floated over to the massive computer. "Hello, my pretty. Mind if I come in?" He shrunk down and phased into the computer. He adjusted his glasses. "I didn't think so."  
Alboort floated over to a door on one of the walls. "1-14? Let's see. I think that means Floor 1, 2:00 pm." He held his chin and looked both ways. "The big operation would probably do best if we pulled it off at about nine." He floated down the pathway until he got to a door that said 1-21 and floated inside.

Alboort floated over to the column in the middle of the new room. "Let's see. Waluigi's Toad name is Igiulaw, and he's probably going to be a purple chip." He floated around the column, finding three purple chips, but none with the name Igiulaw on it. "Perhaps he's been assigned to another floor."

Alboort floated out of the room and down to the end of the hall. He hopped into the wire and floated up a level. He floated towards the room 2-21. He floated in, finding only one purple chip which said _Forrest_. "Hmm. Maybe another floor up."

Alboort floated out of the room, towards the wire at the end of the hall, up one floor, and towards the door that read 3-21. He floated in and looked around the column, finding two purple chips. One said _Tray_, and the other read _Igiulaw_.

Alboort's eyes brightened. "There we are. Now, I just have to pull it out using the C button." He pulled it out delicately and held it under his arm. "All I need to do now is take this up to the fifth floor and stick it into the column, and Waluigi will be scheduled to guard Princess Peach's room."

Alboort floated out of the room and towards the end of the hall. He floated up the wire for two floors and floated down to the room 5-21.

As Alboort floated into the room, he noticed a great lack of chips. "Okay, now to insert Waluigi's chip into the column by pressing the C button." He floated over to the column and stuck in his purple chip. He looked at the three other chips, all red.

Alboort pulled out his Thieftech. "Hey, Waluigi."

Waluigi showed up on the screen and scowled. "What? Waluigi's eating lunch."

"Sorry, Waluigi, but I really need to ask you something about the Toads."

Waluigi raised an eyebrow. "What?"

Alboort adjusted his glasses. "Well, you've been around the Toads, so I want to know if you have any idea if any of the Toads may show some form of weakness in their guarding techniques."

Waluigi chewed on a sandwich and scratched the back of his head. "Well, there was this Yellow Toad who probably sleeps more than anything else."

Alboort smiled. "Do you have his name?"

Waluigi shrugged. "No. The guy never told it to me."

Alboort frowned. "Well, that's not going to work. There are probably too many Yellow Toads to accurately get the right guy."

Waluigi chewed for a minute longer, staring into space. "Well, there was these Green Toad. Waluigi thinks his name was Jack, and Waluigi thinks that Jack is notorious for being late to his guard shifts."

Alboort grinned. "Now, that I can work with." He looked at the column. "Do you have any idea where I could find him?"

Waluigi scratched his head. "Try outside. Waluigi remembers some Red Toad telling him that the Green Toads tend to be stuck outside."

Alboort nodded. "Okay. Stay on the ready. I may need to call you again." He flipped his Thieftech shut and pulled out one of the chips. He carried it out of the room and down the hall, followed by carrying it down five floors.

After Alboort landed on the ground floor, he floated down to the door saying O-21 and floated inside. He flipped the red chip into one of the many slots in the enlarged column and looked the column up and down. "Lat's see... Jack, Jack, Jack, Jack... Ah, Jack!" He pulled out the green chip and floated his way back up to the top floor.

After he stuck the green chip into the column, he pulled out another red chip. "Let's see, I think Mario was also outside." He held his chin. "I guess they must have thought that they'd be better off attacking Bowser's ground units than the big boss himself." He floated out of the door and down the hall.

As Alboort entered room O-21, he placed the red chip in and looked at all the other red chips. He found the Mario chip and pulled it out.

After floating back up to the top floor and sticking the Mario chip into the column, he pulled out the last red chip and his Thieftech. "Hey, Waluigi. I just wanted to tell you that you'll be in Peach's room with Mario tonight."

Waluigi jumped up. "What! What about Jack?"

"Don't worry. Jack's in there." Alboort pushed his glasses up. "Besides, I doubt Mario will be there exactly on time, so you'll have enough time to at least grab the princess. We just need him to see that the princess has been taken out of her room."

Waluigi sat back down. "Okay. But remember, if Mario messes this plan up, it's your fault."

Alboort nodded. "Noted. But I'll also need to stick you on the same floor as Luigi."

"What! Are you off your rocker!" Waluigi started waving his hand about madly. "Waluigi thought we were trying to avoid facing those brothers at the same time!"

Alboort held his hand up defensively. "Calm down. I didn't mean at the same time." He lifted the last chip up a later higher. "I just wanted to give you the heads up."

Waluigi folded his arms. "Just get your job done, nerd boy."

Alboort chuckled. "All right. Fine." He flipped his Thieftech shut and put it away. He turned to the door. "I should probably take this back to Waluigi's original position. Let's see, I think that was room 3-21." He floated out of the door.

Alboort floated down to the third floor and found the room 3-21. He floated in, stuck the red ship into the column, and floated out.

Alboort looked down to his right. "Let's see. It's very likely that Waluigi was assigned to this floor for the evening. Let's see about seven o' clock." He floated down to room 3-19 and floated into it.

Alboort checked around the surprisingly sparse column. He found two chips, one blue and one with _Igiulaw_ on it.

Alboort grinned. "Perfect." He pulled out the blue chip. "Now, I just need to replace this with Luigi. I doubt that he'd be stuck outside, but I can't count any floor out."

Alboort floated out of the room and down to the wire at the end. He floated down one floor and down the hall to room 2-19. He floated in to see a collection of green chips. He looked around the whole lot, but Luigi's name didn't show up among them.

The Boo merely shrugged and floated back out of the room. He floated down the hall and down the wire for another floor. He went down to room 1-19 and floated into it. He looked around the column until he came across the only green chip in the room, and it was labeled Luigi.

Alboort smiled as he stuffed the blue chip into the column and pulled out the Luigi chip. He floated out of the room, up to the third floor, entered 3-19, and stuffed the Luigi into the column.

Alboort nodded. "All right. That should do it."

He turned around and grew, floating out of the computer. After landing on the ground, he typed his way onto the computer. "Okay. Let's just make sure we've got things scheduled correctly. And..." Alboort stared at the screen and adjusted his glasses. "Everything's perfect." He pulled out his Thieftech. "Waluigi, get the projector ready. I'm coming back, and I want to at least get the second phase explained while everybody's in one place."

Waluigi nodded. "Just don't get caught. Got it, Alboort?"

Alboort nodded. "See you soon, Waluigi." He flipped his Thieftech shut and floated out of the computer room.

_Mission complete,_

_signed,_

_-Alboort_

---

Okay, I realize this chapter was short and maybe a little boring (and I admit that it would probably last longer in gameplay than it did to read it), but it was a necessary chapter. Not everything in a heist is absolute excitement, after all. Besides, I needed Alboort to do something.

Anyways, enjoy, and please review.


	16. Chapter 2 part 5

Chapter 2.5: Creeping Koopa

Waluigi and Ashley sat around the kitchen table, Red was sleeping on the couch, and Alboort was standing next to his projector.

The Boo clicked a button, and a picture of the alarm beacon with an X on it showed up on the wall. "Okay, thanks to Ashley, we don't have to worry about alerting every soldier in the castle if we go in." He clicked the button again, and a Toad showed up on the screen. "And Waluigi has been able to get a job, and I have been able to set him up, so he can be in position for the big job."

Waluigi nodded and held his chin. "So Waluigi is set up. What about the rest of you guys?"

"Well, that's going to take a little more work." Alboort clicked the button, and a picture of a Green Koopa showed up on the wall.

Waluigi held up his hand. "Um, Waluigi doesn't remember taking a picture of a Koopa."

Alboort adjusted his glasses. "I got this picture from a website. But it's important. We're going to need the local forces to believe that Koopas are coming to attack them. That's where you come in."

Waluigi turned around in his chair. "But Waluigi isn't a Koopa."

Ashley looked up from her tea. "Quit complaining. You walked around as a Toad for half the morning."

Alboort smiled. "Ashley does have a point."

Waluigi sat back down, grumbling.

Alboort clicked the button, and Luigi showed up on the screen. "We'll then need Waluigi to take out Luigi. Not only is he formidable alongside his brother," he swallowed, "but he'll ruin the entire job if he pulls out his Poltergust 3000."

Waluigi cracked his knuckles, and a grin cracked all the way from ear to ear. "Waluigi will take care of that Green Bean, no sweat."

"That's what I wanted to hear." He clicked the button, and a picture of Ashley showed up on the wall.

Ashley raised an eyebrow. "What are you having me do now?"

Alboort adjusted his glasses. "Well, Bowser, despite hiring us, doesn't seem to trust our skills very well. He sent a personal Magikoopa assistant to test us. I want you to represent us and take care of any test they make."

Ashley sat up. "Well, that certainly sounds interesting."

Alboort nodded. "If you guys feel like you need any practice or need to eat anything, I suggest you do it now, seeing how we'll be waiting until early evening before we do anything."

Waluigi stood up and stretched. "Waluigi guesses he should get the kinks knocked out of his back before he's stuck being a midget again."

Ashley stood up and walked over to the front door. "Send out about fifty Trainer-bots. I'm feeling a little rusty."

Alboort just watched the two walk off, toying with his glasses uncomfortably. "Um, I guess I'll just run a couple of statistics for tonight."

---

Waluigi walked out of the mushroom house and pulled out his Thieftech. "Okay, Alboort, what exactly is Waluigi going to do."

"Well, we're on a schedule, so I'm going to have to be brief with you." Alboort tapped a couple times on his keyboard. "There should be a new costume in your pack. Press the (-) button to access your inventory and press the 2 button to equip it."

Waluigi fished into his pack and pulled out a Koopa costume. "Uh, Alboort, Waluigi doesn't remember ever seeing a Purple Koopa before."

"Don't worry about it. It'll be dark enough that the guards should think that you're just a Red Koopa." He clicked on his mouse a couple times and adjusted his glasses. "Now, this next part is important, so I'm going to make it simple and clear the first time. As a Koopa, you need to let yourself be seen by at least five guards."

Waluigi laughed and cleaned out his ear with his little finger. "Wait! Waluigi is sorry, but he thought you said that he was supposed to be seen by the guards."

Alboort shrugged. "Don't worry about it because that is what I said."

Waluigi's eyes grew wide. "What? Are you crazy!"

Alboort shook his head. "I never said that you were supposed to be caught. I just said you had to be seen. Just shake the Wii remote, so you can run away from the Toads. Their speed should be about equal to a Koopa's, so I don't think you could be caught under normal conditions."

Waluigi looked at the costume. "Okay, Waluigi supposes he can do this."

Alboort nodded. "Just put the costume on and head for the first destination marker. I'll give you further instruction from there."

"Okay. Waluigi will see you later." Waluigi flipped his Thieftech shut and placed it on the ground. He slid into the Koopa costume and shook his head as it popped out. He picked up his Thieftech and looked up at the sky. Finding the marker, he folded his Thieftech up and stuck it in his shell. He waddled towards the castle.

After several minutes, Koopa Waluigi pulled out his Thieftech. "Okay, Alboort, you said something about Waluigi needing to be seen by five guards."

Alboort nodded. "That's right. One guard of each color. It might be a little difficult to guarantee that you'll find the five colors amongst your first five Toads, and we don't want to seem too aggressive, so you'll have to be patient with the Toads outside. We don't want you inside the castle. That'd a disaster and a half."

Koopa Waluigi looked around. "Okay. Waluigi will look around. He'll call you back if there's any problems."  
"Right. Just be careful and don't get caught." Alboort disappeared from the Thieftech.

Koopa Waluigi folded the Thieftech and stuck it in his shell. He looked around and scuttled off.

After several minutes, Koopa Waluigi looked around a tower to see a Blue Toad.

The Blue Toad looked up to see the false Koopa.

"Uh oh." Waluigi turned tail and ran as fast as his turtle legs could.

The Blue Toad chased after the Koopa for about a minute or so, but he stopped and turned around by a large statue of Peach.

Koopa Waluigi turned to see this event. He walked up to the statue and knocked on it a couple times. "Huh, this statue must be the edge of the castle property." He looked around. "Waluigi sees several more of these things. He should look for these when he's getting chased. He looked back up. "Now, let's see about some more Toads."

Koopa Waluigi ran back towards the castle just to be chased away by a Yellow Toad not a second later. He ran past a Peach statue and hid, panting heavily. "Okay. Waluigi wasn't expecting that." He looked around the statue to see that the Toad had left. He sighed and walked back. "Waluigi is going to have to be a bit more sneaky."

Koopa Waluigi walked back into the grounds. He snuck around until he saw three Toads walking together. "Well, Alboort might not like it, but Waluigi just isn't that patient." He walked around the corner.

One of the Toads looked down the alley between the two towers and saw the Koopa. He tapped the others on their shoulders. "Hey guys."

The other two guards turned and saw the Koopa as well. They all jumped up and raised their spears.

Koopa Waluigi smiled. "Perfect." He turned and ran. He looked back to see that the Toads weren't catching up, but they weren't lagging too far behind, either.

The false Koopa ran past a Peach statue and hid. "Okay, let Waluigi see these loser Toads." He turned around to see the Toads walking back towards the castle, and his jaw dropped. "All three of those losers were Green Toads! What kind of deal is that?" He sighed and looked around. Grumbling, he walked in a different direction than the Toad group.

Koopa Waluigi looked around for a while. He ended up being chased by several more Yellow Toads and another Green Toad before finally being chased by a Purple Toad.

Panting, Koopa Waluigi looked around the Peach statue he had hid behind. He wiped his brow. "This is way too much work for Waluigi. He can't keep this up too long." He scratched his head for a moment. "Wait! Waluigi thinks that Red Toads always guard the front door. He should probably check there."

Koopa Waluigi walked around the until he could see the front doors of the castle. He slowly approached the door, looking around to make sure no other Toads would interrupt him.

When the Red Toads saw the Koopa, they both jumped. Instead of chasing after him, however, they ran inside the castle.

Koopa Waluigi frowned for a moment. He pulled out his Thieftech and flipped it open. "Hey, Alboort, Waluigi let himself be seen by the five Toad colors."

Alboort adjusted his glasses and smiled. "That's great! And with plenty of time."

Koopa Waluigi scratched the back of his head. "Waluigi's not sure. Some of the Toads didn't chase him."  
"Some of the Toads didn't chase you?" Alboort tapped a couple of keys and stared back at Waluigi. "What did they do, just stand there?"

Koopa Waluigi shook his head. "They ran into the castle."

Alboort clicked a couple of times on his mouse. "You didn't happen to approach the Red Toads at the front doors, did you?"

Koopa Waluigi grinned innocently. "Maybe."

Alboort swallowed. "I think I know what's going to happen."

Before Alboort could continue, the front doors of the castle burst open. Koopa Waluigi looked up to see Mario staring at him. "Um, here comes trouble."

Alboort started typing quickly. "Don't worry. Just get to running."

Koopa Waluigi hopped up and started running. "But can't Mario run faster than a Koopa?"

Alboort swallowed. "Why did you have to say that?" He stared at his screen. "Look. Swerve, dodge, hide, turn, whatever! No matter what, though, don't take off the costume. I know you're faster like that, but you can't let yourself be discovered."

Koopa Waluigi jumped over a fireball. "Okay. Running now. Changing later." He turned around a Peach statue, panting.

Mario ran past, looking back and forth. He turned back around to see the false Koopa. "Let's-a go!"

Koopa Waluigi cringed and started running again. He jumped over a couple more fireballs and screamed. He kept running and swerving between statues, never stopping.

Soon, Koopa Waluigi turned around a Peach statue, and when Mario ran around, he kept skirting around another corner, avoiding Mario's gaze.

After about a minute of hide-and-seek, Mario looked around. Not seeing anything, he shrugged. "Must-a have gotten away-a." He turned. "That Koopa must-a have been a spy-a." He started walking away. "But-a I don't like-a how it just-a ran away-a."

Koopa Waluigi looked around the statue. After making sure the coast was clear, he walked out and took off his costume.

Waluigi turned his Thieftech on. "Okay, Alboort, Waluigi's coming back now."

Alboort adjusted his glasses. "Well, I'm glad to see you got away from Mario, but I'm afraid you can't come back yet." He tapped a couple times on his keyboard. "You need to get in your Toad costume and head back to the castle."

"What!"

Alboort adjusted his glasses again. "It's almost your shift, and we need to stay on schedule."

Waluigi crossed his arms and started grumbling.

_Mission Complete,_

_signed,_

_-Waluigi_

---

Okay, I realize this was another short chapter with not a whole lot happening. I apologize. But the next chapter is going to be a whole lot more exciting.

Also, if people were wondering about the costumes, it's sort of based off the idea of Wario: Master of Disguise. Waluigi will probably have about three more costumes after this and quite a few costumed missions.

Anyways, enjoy and review, please.


	17. Chapter 2 part 6

Chapter 2.6: One-on-One

Waluigi ran up to the castle. Before reaching the castle, he jumped up, grabbed onto an ivy vine, and climbed up to the top. After getting a firm footing on the tower, he pulled out his Thieftech. "Okay, Alboort, what's going on?"

Alboort tapped a couple keys. "Well, your new shift is about to start. You'll have to make it up to the third floor, then we'll discuss what you'll be doing."

Waluigi nodded. "Okay. Waluigi's moving out."

Alboort adjusted his glasses. "Don't forget to put on your Toad costume before you try going in. People might get a little suspicious if you just show up for no reason."

"Okay. Okay. Quit nagging Waluigi." Waluigi flipped his Thieftech shut and looked around. Seeing the coast was clear, he jumped off. After landing, he quickly put on his Toad costume.

Toad Waluigi looked around before walking towards the castle. He walked around the castle until he saw the front door. He walked towards it.

The two Red Toads at guard by the door jumped and held out there spears.

The Toad to the left pushed his spear towards Toad Waluigi. "Who goes there?"

Toad Waluigi held up his hands. "Hold it! Igiulaw is just Igiulaw."

The Toad to the right pushed down his partner's spear. "Calm down, Ted. You remember Igiulaw from before."

Ted scowled, but he pulled his spear up. "Oh yes. The southerner."

The Toad to the right pulled his spear up to. "Yeah. We heard about your new job here." He pushed the door open. "I guess you must be here for your shift."

Toad Waluigi walked past the two guards. "Thanks, Tony."

Tony laughed. "Don't mention it." He winked at Toad Waluigi. "And don't mind Ted. He's just tired." He turned back to the path up to the castle. "And there's been a Koopa sighting recently, so everyone's going to be a little on edge."

Toad Waluigi nodded. "Okay, Igiulaw will see you later, then."

Tony waved after him. "See you later."

As the doors closed behind Toad Waluigi, he looked around and started walking down the hall. He greeted all the Toads he met, due to Alboort telling him earlier that Toads were usually polite to one another, until he reached the third floor. He looked around, checking to see that the floor was clear.

Toad Waluigi pulled his Thieftech out of his vest and pulled it open. "Okay, Alboort, Waluigi's in position."

Alboort adjusted his glasses. "Good. Now, I know it might be tempting, but you need to keep your Toad costume on for a little longer. We need Luigi to see that there was a Toad up here before he actually gets attacked. After he's seen you, though, you should be able to take care of him. And I suggest you don't take too long. I want to send Ashley out soon."

Toad Waluigi waved the comment off. "Don't worry about it. Waluigi will take care of everything."

Alboort nodded. "Call me back after you've taken out Luigi."

"Don't worry, the little Green Bean won't know what hit him until Waluigi wants him to." Toad Waluigi flipped his Thieftech shut and looked around. He started waddling down the halls.

After a round or two, Toad Waluigi stopped when he heard somebody coming up the stairs. He backed up around the corner and started walking forward again, so he looked like he was naturally turning the corner when the person came up.

As the fake Toad approached the stairs this time, Luigi walked up the stairs. The green plumber jumped and turned his hands into a pair of karate chops.

Toad Waluigi jumped back. "Woah! Hold on! It's just Igiulaw!"

Luigi lowered his hands and patted his chest. "Oh." He held his head. "Mama Mia! I don't even-a know why I'm-a here. Mario just-a dragged me here." He looked both ways. "And that-a Koopa sighting. I didn't even-a think they would try anything so early."

Toad Waluigi nodded. "Well, there's Koopas up here. Igiulaw already checked."

Luigi returned the nod. "Anyways, we-a should probably do-a this." He pointed down the hall. "You go-a that way." He pointed down the other direction. "And I'll-a go this way."

Toad Waluigi gave Luigi a thumb's up. "Okay. Just keep an eye out. Igiulaw heard there might be more than just Koopas on the grounds."

Luigi started shaking. "Oh. Why did-a you have to say-a that?"

Toad Waluigi shrugged. "Igiulaw was just trying to warn you." He turned and started walking down the hall. As soon as the green plumber was out of earshot, he crouched slightly. "Waluigi would really like to take out that Green Bean right now, but Waluigi should probably wait another time, so Luigi doesn't get suspicious of Waluigi's Toad form." He continued to walk down the hall.

As Luigi came back around, he looked down at the fake Toad. "Did you-a see anything?"

Toad Waluigi shook his head. "Only you, Green Bean."

Luigi tipped his hat. "Okay, but-a my name's-a Luigi."

"Got it." Toad Waluigi walked past Luigi and around the corner. He looked back to see Luigi walking away. He turned back around the corner and pulled off his costume.

Waluigi looked around. "Okay. Looks like Waluigi's in business." He ran around the corner and chased after Luigi.

Luigi was already shaking like crazy. When he heard footsteps behind himself, he jumped up and turned around. "Who's-a there?"

Waluigi held his hands up. "Woah there, Green Bean. It's just Waluigi."

Luigi jumped back. "Waluigi! What are you-a doing here?"

Waluigi shrugged and pointed at Luigi. "You're here, and Waluigi's here. Does Waluigi have to add it up for you?"

Luigi staggered back. "Listen, Waluigi. Now's not a good time-a."

Waluigi showed off with a couple kicks. "Nonsense! There's never a bad time for Waluigi to play with his pal."

Luigi swallowed. "I meant a bad time-a for me."

Waluigi laughed. "It's always a bad time for you when Waluigi comes around." He kicked Luigi across the face.

Luigi fell back. "Waluigi, I'm-a really not in a mood to-a fight-a." he stood up and shakily held out a pair of karate chops. "But if that's-a the way it's-a going be, then I guess I have-a no choice-a."

The green plumber threw his fists forward, and two green fireballs blasted out of them.

Waluigi stepped out of the way of the fireballs. "Ha! With as much control and aim you have, you better become a whole lot more subtle before you even think you can hit Waluigi."

Luigi kept throwing fireballs, but he couldn't hit the purple plumber. He was soon panting. "All right." He raised his hands up. "Let's-a go." He lunged forward.

Waluigi grinned as he stepped to the side again. He turned around and quickly kicked his nemesis several times from behind.

Luigi turned around. "Okay. No more Mister Nice-a Gu-"

Waluigi had slammed his foot over Luigi's head. The green plumber slumped to the ground beneath his feet. "Let's face it, Green Bean. When it comes to you, there's no such thing as 'no more Mr. Nice Guy." He pulled out his Thieftech and flipped it open. "Okay, Alboort, Waluigi took care of the Green Bean."

Alboort nodded. "Any sighting of the Poltergust 3000?"

Waluigi shook his head. "Nah! But it does take out one of the Mario brothers."

"Okay. Now, we can't leave him in the middle of the floor, obviously."

Waluigi rolled his eyes. "No duh!" He gestured towards Luigi. "He could be seen, or just wake up and walk off."

"I'm glad we agree." Alboort tapped a couple of keys and adjusted his glasses. "There should be a closet on your level that you can put him in. Now, I'm supposing that he's not too heavy, so you could probably pick Luigi up with the C button."

Waluigi scratched his head. "Then how is Waluigi supposed to open the door?"

"Most of the doors open from out to in." Alboort stared at Waluigi. "I would think that you could just kick them open."

Waluigi looked down at Luigi. "Where is this door? Waluigi has the feeling he better store the Green Bean as quick as possible."

"Give me a minute to check your position." Alboort quickly tapped keys and clicked on his mouse. "Right. It should be the second door to your right going forward."

"Okay. Waluigi will take care of it." He flipped his Thieftech shut and stuck it in his pocket. He walked over and kicked Luigi up, catching the green plumber in his arms. He ran down the hall and kicked the door open. He dropped his victim onto the closet floor and walked out of the closet. He pulled out his Thieftech. "Okay, Alboort, what should Waluigi do now?"

Alboort stared at his computer screen. "Well, you can pretty much go back to being a Toad for now. I'll be sending Ashley on her mission soon. You made great time."

Waluigi nodded. "Yeah. Waluigi was a little disappointed that the Green Bean didn't put up any more of a fight, but Waluigi supposes th-"

Alboort adjusted his glasses. "What are you supposing, Waluigi?"

Waluigi stared up slowly. "Waluigi will have to call you back."

"What's going on, Waluigi?"

"Later." Waluigi flipped his Thieftech shut and stuck it in his pocket. He leaned backwards and gazed ahead quietly. "Well, hello, Daisy. What brings you here?"

Daisy stood there in the hallway, tapping her foot and glaring at Waluigi. "I could ask you the same, Waluigi."

Waluigi shrugged. "Waluigi came to beat on his little Green Bean pal. Why else would Waluigi come to Princess Peach's Castle?"

Daisy shook her head and sighed. "You attacked Waluigi." She scoffed. "You attacked Waluigi. You know, that's not really fair, seeing how Luigi is too nice of a guy to ever put up much fight."

Waluigi shrugged. "A victory for Waluigi is a victory for Waluigi."

Daisy clenched her fists. "Why don't you pick on someone who actually can fight?"

Waluigi leaned against the wall. "Well, Mario is Wario's enemy, not mine."

Daisy's hand started to glow orange, and she slammed it into the wall. Crystal spikes started to eject from the wall all the way towards Waluigi.

The purple plumber jumped away from the wall just a second before being skewered. "What's the big idea?"

Daisy returned to standing and smirked. "I meant me. Seriously, my name's Daisy, not Pansy." She taunted the purple plumber. "Come and see what a real fighter can do."

Waluigi kicked a chunk off of the crystal off the wall. "You're not so tough." He started cackling. "But Waluigi will remind you that you're out of your league. He is number one, after all."

Daisy kicked the air a couple times. "Let's see what you've got."

Waluigi ran forward and started with several kicks.

Daisy merely smiled. The kicks met nothing as she disappeared in a swirl of flower petals.

Waluigi paused. "What the heck?"

"Where are you looking?" Daisy appeared behind Waluigi and thrust a kick forward.

Waluigi flew against the wall. He turned around and smiled crookedly. "That's a new one."

Daisy smiled. "You're going to have to do better tha-"

Waluigi cut her off by kicking her several times in the gut. He stood up straight and smiled wider. "You know, there's a reason as to why Waluigi is number one. He's a very sore loser."

Daisy stood up. "Well, don't think that it's going to be that easy." Her fist started glowing again, and she slammed it into the floor.

Waluigi jumped and swam through the emerging crystals. He finished by ending his flight with a Whirl-luigi.

Daisy faltered slightly. She kicked back at Waluigi.

Waluigi dodged to one side and followed with several more kicks.

Daisy faltered again. "I'm not giving up!" Both of her fists glowed as she slammed them into the ground.

Waluigi jumped back as pillars of orange crystal shot out around Daisy.

Daisy smiled and disappeared in a swirl of petals. She reappeared in front of the purple-clad thief and kicked him in the jaw.

Waluigi fell back a little and rubbed his jaw. "All right. Waluigi is going to get serious now." He ran forward and pulled out his tennis racket, smashing Daisy across the hall.

Daisy was just barely strong enough to push herself away from the wall. "I'm still playing." Her fist started to glow again.

Before the princess could slam her fist into anything, Waluigi Earthquake Stomped, throwing her off balance. As she fell to the floor, he ran forward, scooped her up with his foot and slammed her into the floor with his heel.

Daisy groaned and pushed herself off the floor. "I-I," she winced, "I lose... this time." She fell back down to the floor.

Waluigi walked up to the fallen princess. "Well, Waluigi should probably throw Daisy in with the Green Bean." He scooped her up and carried her over to the closet. After placing her next to Luigi, he fished a rose out of his cap and placed it in her hair. He closed the door and kicked the doorknob flat into the door. "That should make sure that nobody will find you two for a while."

Waluigi turned back to the hall. "Oh, wow. This is a mess." He picked up a chunk of the orange crystal and weighed it in his hand. "Waluigi wonders how much this crystal is worth." Not a moment later, he was shoveling it all into his pack.

Several minutes later, Toadsworth walked down the stairs. "By my father's marmalade! What is with all the racket down here?"

Toad Waluigi looked back at the old Toad. "Igiulaw doesn't know." He held his chin. "But he does remember some of the other Toads saying something about a Koopa sighting downstairs."

Toadsworth adjusted his spectacles and looked at the fake Toad. "Indeed." He looked around. "By the way, where is Master Luigi?"

Toad Waluigi shrugged. "Igiulaw saw him a couple times, but Luigi seems to have disappeared."

Toadsworth stared a little closer at Toad Waluigi. "Are you sure?"

Toad Waluigi nodded. "Maybe he ran off after hearing about the Koopa sighting."

Toadsworth fiddled with his walking stick for a moment. "Very well. I shall check up with the lower levels." He stared back at Toad Waluigi and adjusted his spectacles again. "But I will be keeping my eye on you, Master Igiulaw."

Toad Waluigi waved after the old Toad and smiled. "Okay. Igiulaw will see you later."

Toadsworth gave a brief nod. "I'm off." He walked down the next flight of stairs.

Toad Waluigi stood there a moment before pulling his Thieftech out of his vest.

Alboort showed up on the screen. "I've been trying to call you for several minutes now. What happened?"

"Oh, Waluigi got attacked by Daisy, had to clean up a crystal-coated hallway, and all before a old Toad came down to check up on Waluigi." Toad Waluigi grinned. "But Waluigi took care of it all."

Alboort sighed. "Do you think you could stay out of trouble for a while?"

Toad Waluigi shrugged. "Most likely."

Alboort adjusted his glasses. "Very well. I'll call you when we're discussing the master plan."

Toad Waluigi nodded. "All right. Waluigi will talk to you later."

_Mission complete,_

_signed,_

_-Waluigi_

---

I'm guessing people were expecting a little Mr. L or Negative Zone action to be in this chapter, but I didn't think it appropriate. Luigi just doesn't sound like he would fight for very long, unless he has somebody to encourage him.

Daisy's skills in this battle were mostly based on her skills in Mario Soccer games. Seeing how she showed up in all the same competitive games as Waluigi, I thought she would make a reasonable opponent for our sneaky thief.

Please review and enjoy.


	18. Chapter 2 part 7

Disclaimer: Characters in Mario games do not die. They just get really big boo-boos and vanish to some mysterious hospital deal that noone takes the time to look for.

Chapter 2.7: Magikoopa Meeting

Ashley walked out of the mushroom house, scepter in hand. She pulled out her Thieftech and stared at the screen. "All right, Alboort. Where is this magical Koopa?"

Alboort adjusted his glasses. "It's called a Magikoopa."

Ashley rolled her eyes. "Whatever. Where is it?"

Alboort typed on his computer a moment "Well, he should be up near the mountain that we drove through yesterday. Just press the 1 button to bring up your Thieftech and look around until you see your destination marker. It should be in the shape of your head in red light."

Ashley sighed and held her Thieftech up to her eye. She looked around until she saw the indicated light. "Okay. And I just follow that?"

Alboort nodded. "I suppose you think you won't need me, but I would appreciate it if you called me as soon as he reach the Magikoopa."

Ashley blew at a loose bang. "Okay. I suppose you were the one he contacted." She shrugged. "I suppose I'll call you." She held her Thieftech up to her eye to check the position again. Once sure, she flipped her Thieftech shut and stuck it in her pocket. She turned and started walking up to the dirt road towards the mountains.

Red appeared in the scepter's crystal. "Um, I think Alboort wants us to go a little faster. He was going on about some sort of tight schedule."

Ashley shrugged. "We have plenty of time."

Red nodded. "Maybe so, but don't forget that you can run by shaking the Wii remote."

Ashley sighed. "Very well. If you really want to get there faster." She quickened her pace to a run.

Red smiled. "We should get there in no time." He disappeared from the crystal.

Ashley continued to run up the road until she reached the mountains shadow. There, she saw a strange creature. She pulled out her Thieftech. "Alboort, I'm at the mountain pass, but all I see is some dinosaur in a dress."

Alboort sighed. "That's a Magikoopa. And I'd say they're more like turtles than dinosaurs."

Ashley rolled her eyes. "Whatever. We'll just call that thing a Magikoopa, but this naming thing of yours is a little nuts."

Alboort clicked a couple times on his mouse. "Look, just walk up to him, and he should administer some sort of test."

"Very well." Ashley flipped her Thieftech shut and placed it in her pocket. She walked up to the Magikoopa. "So, you're the guy Bowser sent over to check up on us?"

The Magikoopa turned towards Ashley. "That depends. Are you a member of the Waluigi Gang?"

Ashley crossed her arms. "I think that's the name." She tilted her head to one side. "I'm Ashley, Witch Extrodinaire."

The Magikoopa huffed and crossed his arms. "I happen to be the right hand man to the great King Bowser himself, Kamek." He stared the young witch. "And you're supposed to represent your gang? You're a little girl. Back in my day, thieves could scare the pants off of their victims."

Ashley rolled her eyes. "Says the turtle in a dress."

Kamek stomped angrily. "It's a wizard's gown, for heaven sakes!"

Ashley flipped her hair. "Whatever."

Kamek stomped down one last time and pointed at the castle. "Well, back in my day, kidnappers would just have had this job done in a snap!"

Ashley shrugged. "Hey, I would have just charged in and blasted the castle to pieces, but Alboort didn't want us to look like serious villains." She tiled her head to the side and fingered her scepter. "I suppose I agree with him. I don't really want anything to get stuck on my permanent record."

"A schoolgirl!" Kamek threw his hands up in the air. "I come all the way out here to find out your group is made up of schoolgirls?!"

Ashley spun her scepter in her hand and pointed it at Kamek. "Don't let yourself be fooled by my innocent demeanor."

Kamek scowled. "Very well. Prove yourself." He hopped up and landed on a broomstick. He flew up into the air and swirled his magic rod around. "Try this on for size!" He thrust his rod down, and a white sphere flew to the ground.

Ashley jumped out of the way. "Your magic might be powerful, but your as subtle as a stone hippopotamus."

Kamek cackled. "Hardly. Look again."

Ashley turned around and blasted the three Goombas running up to her. "Like I said, subtle as a stone hippopotamus."

Kamek scowled further. "We'll see who's as subtle as a stone hippopotamus!" He spun his rod around and shot down several more times.

Red appeared in the scepter's crystal. "Yikes! It's a good thing your magic has an explosive effect, or we might be having trouble with this army."

Ashley smirked. "This is too easy. And Red."

Red looked up from the orb. "What?"

Ashley glared down at the crystal. "Shut up. I'm working."

Red swallowed. "Yes, Ashley." He faded from the crystal."

Ashley turned and started blasting Goombas left and right. She was soon surrounded by little more than smoking ground. She spun her scepter and blew the smoke off the end. "Fools! That was pathetic."

Kamek gaped and fumed. "Why you little brat! I'll show you the power of Bowser's army!" He spun his rod around and threw several more white spheres to the ground.

After the light faded, Koopas started running towards the young witch.

Ashley boredly swirled her scepter and continued to blast.

It took a couple times to blast each of the Koopas out of their shells, but they all ended up vanishing.

Kamek held his breath in fury. He threw down several more white spheres.

The balls of magic were replaced by Koopas wearing helmets. Several held hammers, others held boomerangs, and the rest blew streams of fire out of their mouths.

Kamek cackled. "Now you'll see why your group isn't cut out for this job."

Ashley shrugged. "So you upgraded to ranged attacks. Big deal." She took a firm grip on her scepter. "That's my primary attack."

The new soldiers all looked over at at young witch. Hammers, boomerangs, and fire all started flying towards her.

Ashley jumped out of the way of the weapons. She ran forward and started blasting the Koopas off their feet. She paused to see them getting back up. "Hmm. Seems these are a little tougher than the others."

Kamek nodded from his high position. "You'll find that most Koopas have a bit of resistance to magic."

Ashley smiled and gripped her scepter tightly. "Then this just got a bit more interesting." She blasted the new Koopas while they were down, and she continued to blast them, dodging the many projectiles, until she was the only one left on the field.

Kamek gaped. He scowled his head and started screaming. "You blasted little twerp! How dare you disrespect the great Bowser with your absurd little gang! And then to disgrace his army with with your mundane little tricks! Take this you nasty little brat!" He started shooting down at the ground like a maniac.

Quicker than she could count, Ashley found herself surrounded by an army of Goombas, Koopas, and the soldier-like Koopas. She stared at them all. "Very well. Let's get this over with."

The miniature Bowser army started running at the young witch. They started crowding each other, clogging up most of the movement.

Ashley sighed. She jumped up, turned her scepter into a broom, and floated over the army. After landing, she turned around and started blasting the back soldiers.

The many creatures turned and started charging forwards.

A hammer sunk in the ground beside Ashley. She stopped blasting for a minute and ran around the group. She jumped up and started blasting the creatures from the air.

The army had been reduced to a few paltry Koopas and several Koopa soldiers.

"Only a few to go." Ashley released several more magical blasts, sending her enemies flying.

Kamek looked at the cleared field. He started flying in circles, screaming nonsensical curses and swears.

Ashley sighed. "That's a little disappointing." She tilted her head to one side. "But it killed some time."

Red appeared in the scepter's crystal. "Maybe you should take down Kamek."

Ashley looked at the crystal. "Well, I suppose that would be amusing."

Red nodded. "Just remember that you can lock onto targets by holding down the B button before launching your attack."

Ashley nodded. She swirled her scepter in the air, watching the Magikoopa fly around. Soon, she let the spell go, letting it fly into the air."

The magic hit the Magikoopa, and he started spinning out of control. He crashed on the ground, falling off of his broom and rolling several times. "Horsefeathers and moldy muffins!"

Ashley walked over to her fallen opponent. She pointed her scepter at him. "I suggest you accept that Bowser hired us. Otherwise, I might be tempted to turn you into a toad." She cracked her knuckles. "And I don't mean the mushroom freaks."

Kamek scowled. He stood up and brushed himself off. "Very well." He pushed his large glasses far up his nose and stared at the girl eye-to-eye. "But I'll be keeping an eye on your group." He walked off towards the mountain pass.

Ashley pulled out her Thieftech. "Okay, Alboort. I think this Magikoopa guy passed us for now, but I have the feeling that he doesn't approve of us."

"Really?" Alboort tapped a couple of keys. "Then I suppose we'll need to keep an eye out for him. He is a villain, after all."

Ashley nodded. "Okay, I suppose you want me to come back so we discuss the big plan tonight."

Alboort adjusted his glasses. "I'll admit, you made great time, but I'll need you to come back as soon as possible."

"All right. I'm coming." Ashley flipped her Thieftech shut and walked down the dirt road to the mushroom village.

_Mission complete,_

_signed,_

_-Ashley and Red_

---

Yeah. Ashley beats people up, and Kamek hates the idea about being upstaged by the new generation. This is probably going to affect the big operation, which happened to be the next chapter.

Please enjoy and review.


	19. Chapter 2 part 8

Chapter 2.8: Operation: Masquerade Ball

Ashley and Red were sitting at the kitchen, and Toad Waluigi was on the screen of Alboort's Thieftech, which was sitting on the kitchen table.

Alboort lined up his projector and pulled out his projection button. He clicked it once to put a picture of Princess Peach on the wall.

Alboort adjusted his glasses. "All right. The time is almost at hand to kidnap Princess Peach. Now, this has to go like clockwork, so I want to be sure that all of you are understanding the plan."

Toad Waluigi nodded from his screen. "Igiulaw is ready to go."

Ashley rested her head in her hands. "Can we just get on with it, all ready?"

"Okay. Now, the first phase is picking up the princess." Alboort clicked the button, and a picture of a Toad came up. "Waluigi is going to have to take care of that by taking his 'shift' and getting inside her room." He clicked again to bring up a picture of a Koopa. "Now, we don't want anybody to know that it was us who took the princess, so Waluigi is going to have to knock her out and sneak out with her while guised as a Koopa."

Toad Waluigi held his chin. "Well, how is Waluigi supposed to knock the princess out?"

Alboort adjusted his glasses. "I'll tell you about that later." He clicked the button, so Mario showed up on the wall. "After you jump out of the window with the princess, you're going to have to wait for Mario to come in and find out that Princess Peach has been kidnapped."

Toad Waluigi's eyes grew wide. "What! You want Waluigi to just stand there and get pummeled by that scrawny fatso!"

Alboort scowled. "Of coarse not. After I take care of the princess's vault, I'll come and keep Mario off your back."

"But Waluigi thought you weren't a fighter, Alboort."

Alboort swallowed and tugged on his bowtie. "Well, I can take a few punches, but I'm actually hoping to confuse him and blow him up."

Ashley laced her fingers together. "And where do I come in on all this?"

Alboort clicked his button again, and a picture of Ashley came up. "Right. We need you to hang back a little. Like you said before, I don't think Kamek likes us very much, and he's always looking for ways to win Bowser's favor. It's very likely that he's going to try to weasel out of our deal. You'll need to meet up with Waluigi after he's left the castle and take out any of Bowser's minions that may try to prevent Waluigi from reaching the mountain pass."

Ashley rolled her eyes. "Sounds almost too easy."

Alboort adjusted his glasses. "Well, don't forget that the numbers might be against you. And if Kamek is serious, it's very likely that we can expect some Magikoopas to join the crowd. They're rather immune to magic, so it may take a few extra shots to knock them out."

Ashley tilted her head to one side. "Well, I suppose that brings some challenge."

Red hopped up onto the table. "Don't worry, Ashley. I'm sure we'll get the chance to rough up Kamek a bit again."

"Oh, speaking of which." Alboort floated over to a cabinet. "Now, like I said before, we don't want to really be found out by anyone but Kamek, so I'm going to need you to wear a disguise like Waluigi, Ashley."

Ashley turned to the Boo and raised an eyebrow. "And what sort of costume are you supposing I'll wear?"

Alboort pulled a Magikoopa costume out of the cabinet. "Well, I thought this would do without seriously hindering any of your skills."

Ashley stared at the costume. "I suppose I could wear that. It is a nice shade of red."

Alboort nodded. "I thought you might like that." He floated over to the table. "Now, because of all the costumes being used, I decided to call this plan Operation: Masquerade Ball."

Toad Waluigi crossed his arms. "What sort of costume are you wearing, Alboort?"

"Oh, me." Alboort swallowed. "Well, I was just going to remove my bowtie and glasses, so I'd look like a normal Boo."

Toad Waluigi nodded. "Good enough for Igiulaw."

Ashley palmed her face. "I certainly hope you don't intend to use that name anymore after this mission. It's even more annoying with that attempt at a Toad voice you're trying to use."

Alboort sighed. "Look, Waluigi, you need to think about getting up to the princess's room. Then, the operation will begin."

Toad Waluigi nodded. "Igiulaw will make his way there now."

---

Toad Waluigi pocketed his Thieftech and looked around. He held his chin. "Okay, Igiulaw is on the third floor right now. He needs to hurry and and get to the top floor, if he wants to be on time." He walked down the hallway and looked for the stairs. When he found them, he started walking up.

Toad Waluigi walked around the next floor. He waved at an oncoming Toad. "Evening, Bill."

The Yellow Toad waved back at Toad Waluigi. "Evening, Igiulaw. Going up to the princess's room?"

Toad Waluigi nodded. "Yeah. Igiulaw ended up on shift up there."

Bill nodded sagely. "Well, I have to say that you're pretty lucky. Sure, I heard Jack's up there, even with his 'punctuality', but Mario's going to be up there, too. There is no safer place during a Bowser invasion than right beside Mario."

Toad Waluigi scratched his cap. "Well, Igiulaw isn't scared, even if those Bowser guys show up."

Bill laughed. "You just wait until you see them, then we'll talk."

Toad Waluigi waved to Bill as he continued to walk down the hall. He found the next flight of stairs. As he climbed up to the fifth floor, he sighed. "Ashley was right. Waluigi should have thought of a better name than Igiulaw." He shrugged. "Oh well. Waluigi only has to hear that name a couple more times, and he is out of here."

As Toad Waluigi stepped up on the last floor, he walked over to the princess's door. "Hey, Igiulaw is here to take his shift."

The five Toad guards all turned to Toad Waluigi and raised their spears. "Igiulaw, huh?" they said in unison. "How can we be sure?"

_Hmm. That's right. There's that crazy password deal to get into the princess's room._ Toad Waluigi scratched his cap and furrowed his brow. _Oh, why does Waluigi have to have such a bad memory? Was it 'Everything beats Mario at Bowser', 'Mario beats Bowser at everything', or 'Bowser beats Mario at everything?_ He looked at the spears pointing at him. _Well, if Waluigi remembers right, 'everything' was supposed to be the last word in the sentence, and Mario was the one who came up with the password._

The Red Toad from the squad pushed his spear a little closer at Toad Waluigi. "Well?"

Toad Waluigi cleared his throat. "Igiulaw believes the password is Mario beats Bowser at everything."

The five Toads looked amongst each other and huddled together. When they parted they started chuckling and walking away from the doors. "Well, see you later, Igiulaw."

The Purple Toad leaned over to the Blue Toad. "Sucker. Everyone knows that Bowser usually strikes around this time."

Toad Waluigi watched the five until they were down the stairs. He turned back to the doors and smiled. "Losers."

As Toad Waluigi entered the door, he noticed two things. One, Toadsworth was sleeping on a nearby chair. Two, aside from him and the old Toad, there was nobody who looked like a guard at all.

Princess Peach turned to the doors. "Oh, um, hello. What was your name again?"

Toad Waluigi looked up at the princess. "Igiulaw is Igiulaw."

"Oh." Princess Peach placed a finger to her lips in thought. "That's right. You're the south kingdom dweller, aren't you?"

Toad Waluigi nodded. "Don't you worry, princess. Igiulaw isn't going to let any minion of Bowser's get you. He is number one, after all."

"Oh, aren't you sweet." Peach patted Toad Waluigi on top of his head. "Well, I suppose we'll just have to see what you can do." She walked over to her balcony and stood there.

Toad Waluigi took a moment to make sure that Toadsworth was asleep and that Princess Peach was out of earshot. He made one more check outside the doors to make sure the coast was clear and walked back inside. He pulled off his costume and hid in a corner.

Waluigi pulled out his Thieftech. "Okay, Alboort. I'm in the princess's room."

Alboort shook his head and adjusted his glasses. "What are you doing out of costume!"

Waluigi covered up the Thieftech with his hand and looked around to make sure he hadn't caught anyone's attention. He pulled his hand off the screen and muttered, "Relax. Nobody can see Waluigi."

Alboort pulled on his bowtie. "Oh, right. Sorry for sounding a little high strung. I'm trying to get into the castle and security is tight."

Waluigi cupped his mouth. "Okay. But before you go anywhere, can you tell Waluigi how he's supposed to knock out the princess?"

Alboort adjusted his glasses. "Right. Press the (-) button and look at your new gadget."

Waluigi reached inside his pack and fished around for a minute. He pulled out something heavy and looked at it. "A baseball bat?"

Alboort nodded. "Now, it shouldn't be that hard to figure out what to do. Just equip it and use it on Princess Peach's head. It should knock her cold for hours."

Waluigi weighed the bat in his hand. "Waluigi doesn't know. He's not into the idea of killing someone, especially not with such a blunt weapon.."

Alboort sighed and shook his head. "The bat's non-lethal. You're not going to kill anybody."

Waluigi held his chin. "Still, that seems pretty violent for a children's game."

Alboort scoffed. "You'd do it to Luigi or Mario in a heartbeat!"

Waluigi looked at the princess. "Waluigi supposes you're right."

Alboort nodded. "Good. Just crack Princess Peach over the head, and call me after you do it."

Waluigi flipped his Thieftech shut and stuck it in his pocket. He looked up at Peach and weighed the bat in his hand again. After a moment of self-nagging, he snuck his way across the room. He paused a couple times when he heard Toadsworth waking up. As he crept onto the balcony, he raised his baseball bat in the air. When he was mere inches behind her, he slammed it down over her blond head.

Without making so much as a sound, Peach slumped to the ground.

Waluigi nodded and pulled out his Thieftech. "Okay, Alboort. The princess is down."

Alboort panted. "Okay. I was just able to make it inside. It'll take me a minute to get into the vault room, but it shouldn't be very hard." He adjusted his glasses. "Now, put on your Koopa outfit and pick the princess up using the C button. Then keep your position until further notice."

"Okay. Waluigi will call you after he's picked up the package." Waluigi pocketed his Thieftech. He stuck his baseball bat into his pack and pulled out his Koopa costume. After sliding it on, he reached down and lifted Peach onto his shoulders. He fished inside his shell and pulled out his Thieftech.

---

Alboort pulled out his vibrating Thieftech. "Okay, Waluigi, you have the princess?"

Koopa Waluigi nodded. "Yeah. Waluigi has Princess Peach right here."

Alboort smiled. "Good. Now, keep your position until Mario comes to take duty. I should hopefully have cracked the vault by then."

Koopa Waluigi paused for a minute. "Hey, Alboort, how do you know the combination to the vault? Waluigi doesn't remember finding any real clues around the castle."

Alboort chuckled and shrugged. "I just hacked it from their computer system earlier. They kept all their security information in there."

Koopa Waluigi held his chin. "Okay. But Waluigi feels a little weird. Waluigi means, Fatlard deserved learning a lesson, but Waluigi thought we weren't trying to make enemies."

"Calm down. This is merely an emergency stash. We're not hurting the princess in any way by making her pockets lighter." He paused and shook his head. "Now, quit distracting me! We're on a schedule here."

"Okay." Koopa Waluigi left the screen.

Alboort shut his Thieftech and put it away. He floated over to the bright pink vault. "Well, the princess seems to be a real sweetheart. Seriously, 7-7-7? Does she seriously think that's a lucky combination?" He sighed and placed his hand on the lock. "Oh well. Money is money." He twisted the lock left-right-left and pulled back.

Alboort's glasses glinted as he looked at the pile of gold. "All right. Now, to just take the loot." He floated back a little, opened his mouth, and started sucking in the cash.

After the vault had been emptied, Alboort smirked. "Okay. Now to call Waluigi back." He pulled out his Thieftech. "I hope Mario hasn't found him yet."

---

Koopa Waluigi pulled his Thieftech out and answered it. "Hello."

Alboort showed up on the screen. "Okay. I've got the loot and am making my way to the front doors."

Koopa Waluigi nodded. "Okay. Waluigi will make his way-" He went quiet when he heard the doors opening.

Mario walked into the room. "Princess, is everything all right? There weren't any guards outside and-" He stopped and blinked at the Koopa with Peach in its hands.

Alboort jumped. "Wait. Is Mario there? Hurry! Jump out the window and run towards the front doors! I 'll meet you there." He disappeared from the screen.

Mario pointed at the false Koopa. "Stop right-a there, Koopa!"

Koopa Waluigi flipped his Thieftech shut and stuffed it in his shell. He turned and jumped off the balcony.

Mario ran towards the balcony. "Oh no, you-a don't!" He hopped out after the false Koopa.

Koopa Waluigi swerved out of the way as a pair of fireballs bounced past him. He turned around and ran between the two towers. He hopped out of the way as another couple of fireballs made their way towards him. He rounded along the rim of the tower.

Mario slid and had to stop himself before turning. "Quit-a running, Koopa!"

Koopa Waluigi swerved around another couple of towers, dodging fireballs all the way. _Thank heavens the Fat Fireball can't turn worth beans._ He hefted Peach up a little to keep her on his shoulders. _It's also nice he doesn't have any super stars. Waluigi wouldn't be able to out run him then._

Mario crashed into a wall as he tried to turn. "Come back-a here, Koopa!"

Koopa Waluigi rounded this tower to see the lights of the front door. He watched Alboort float out the doors. He ran past his partner. "Okay. Here's Mario! Good luck!" He didn't even stop as he made his way up the path.

"But." Alboort paled even more than usual. "Oh well. I gotta get ready!" He pulled off his glasses and bowtie and pocketed them both. He turned to see Mario running towards him.

Mario skidded to a halt as he approached the front door. "Mama Mia! A Boo!" He ground his feet into the dirt. "Well, no Boo is going to-a stop me from-a saving the princess." He ran forward.

Alboort floated forward and caught Mario in his tongue. He pushed the red plumber back and cackled.

Mario shook his head and clenched his fists. "Oh great. I have to-a fight-a the one Boo that-a isn't shy, and Luigi's-a nowhere to be-a seen."

Alboort cackled again. _Oh, this is so degrading_. He floated forward and licked Mario again.

Mario umped back. "Well, tough-a guy. Take-a this!" His hands glowed red, and fire blasted out of his hands.

Alboort floated to the side, missing the fire last second. He vanished in the air.

Mario lifted his cap and scratched his head. He placed it back on his head and scowled. "What a strange Boo." He ran forwards. "But I have to go save the princess."

As soon as Mario passed him, Alboort reappeared and set a bomb down. He licked Mario from behind and backed up.

Mario turned around. "Oh, you crazy Boo!" Mario ran towards the usually smart-looking Boo.

Alboort cackled and activated the bomb.

Mario was hurtled forward by the explosion. He jumped up off the ground. "What was-a that?"

Alboort cackled and vanished again.

Mario frowned. "This is-a getting absurd-a." He tried to run up the path, only to be attacked from behind by Alboort again. He turned and shot several fireballs at Alboort.

Alboort swallowed and floated back and forth, missing by fireballs by fractions of an inch. _Woah! This is getting intense!_

Mario's hands started burning red hot. "Let's-a go."

Alboort dodged fireballs for a couple minutes before vanishing.

Mario frowned. "Ah, just leave me alone." He turned and started running up the path.

Alboort panicked as he reappeared. He floated after Mario, setting a bomb down on his way. He licked Mario several more times on the back and floated backwards.

Mario turned around. "All right! This ends-a now!" He ran towards Alboort.

My thoughts exactly. Alboort floated back until Mario stepped over the bomb, and he set it off.

"What?!" Mario was blown past Alboort by the explosion and slammed into the front doors. He slid down to the ground and down the steps. He stood up and turned to Alboort, his legs wobbling. "Mama Mia! What was-a-" He fell backwards onto the front stairs, stars swirling over his head.

Alboort smiled as he pulled out his glasses. "That was the final guarantee that this plan can not fail." He put his glasses and bowtie on. His glasses glinted as he looked down at Mario. He strapped a bomb to the plumber's face and floated away a bit.

Mario flew up from the explosion and landed on one of the tower roofs.

Alboort nodded. "That should make sure that nobody finds you for a little but." He pulled out his Thieftech.

---

Ashley was silently standing just outside the mushroom house. She pulled out her Thieftech and flipped it open. "Yes, Alboort?"

Alboort wiped his brow. "Well, Waluigi should be near your location. He should be the Koopa carrying Princess Peach."

Ashley watched the dirt road. "Yeah. He's turning the corner just now."

Alboort nodded. "Look, I'll try to catch up to you guys, but I need you to keep and eye out in case Kamek tries anything."

Ashley blinked solemnly. "You mean like Koopas and freaky mushrooms walking towards Waluigi?"

Alboort paused. "Why?"

Ashley shrugged. "Oh, there just happens to be Koopas and freaky mushrooms walking towards Waluigi right now."

Alboort's glasses nearly fell off his face. "That's exactly what I meant! Go help him! And don't forget your costume."

Ashley rolled her eyes. "Fine." She flipped her Thieftech shut and stuck it in her pocket. She lifted up her Magikoopa head and stuck it over her own. She turned to Red. "Okay. Let's get this over with."

Red smiled and nodded. He hopped up and turned into a scepter.

Magikoopa Ashley caught the scepter and ran forward. She blasted a couple of Goombas on her way down.

Koopa Waluigi chuckled as Ashley ran up beside him. "Thanks. Waluigi could take on these losers, but he'd have to take off this stupid costume first."

"Just shut up and run." Ashley ran forward a little more and blasted away a couple more creatures.

After several minutes of blasting, several of the Koopa soldiers Ashley had encountered earlier started showing up.

"Hammer Brothers and Boomerang Brothers!" Koopa Waluigi jumped and started zig-zagging.

Magikoopa Ashley sighed and just shot several blasts off at the Koopa Brothers. She cleared the field and kept running forward.

The same process of protective blasting went on for a while. As they neared the pass, though, several Magikoopas came running down towards the two. They stopped short of the pair.

Magikoopa Ashley spun her scepter in her hand. "Oh, they're not going to attack?" She raised her scepter up. "I suppose that is the point of these idiotic costumes, but that's just boring." She blasted the group.

The Magikoopas were sprawled across the ground. They soon stood up and lifted their magic rods.

Magikoopa Ashley grinned. "Now, that's more like it." She started letting loose with her own magic.

Koopa Waluigi jumped back and forth in the minefield of magic, but he kept surefooted throughout the battle, hefting Peach up to keep balance once in a while.

Soon, the field was cleared, Magikoopa Ashley standing in the middle of it with her smoking scepter. She blew the smoke off and turned to the skittish false Koopa.

Koopa Waluigi stopped and turned to Magikoopa Ashley. "Ah. Okay. Waluigi guesses we should go see about this Kamek guy."

Magikoopa Ashley shrugged and spun her scepter in her hand. "Probably would be going according to Alboort's plan."

Koopa Waluigi nodded. "Princess Peach was pretty light back at the castle, but she gets heavy after a while."

Koopa Waluigi and Magikoopa walked up to the mountain pass.

Kamek looked up to see the two fake minion. He smiled and adjusted his glasses. "Well, well. Look at you two. I guess things got a little competitive out there, but at least we proved that tried and true is better than these new fangled young people who think they can do whatever they feel like just because they think they can."

Magikoopa Ashley crossed her arms. "What do you mean by that?" She pulled of her Magikoopa head. "It's us."

Koopa Waluigi pulled his Koopa head up and over his own. "Yeah. Waluigi isn't really a Koopa."

Kamek jumped back. "What sort of trickery is this?"

Ashley pulled off the rest of her costume. She pointed her scepter at Kamek. "What type of trickery were you trying to pull sending your monsters after us?"

Kamek scowled. "Fine. You want your payment? You can have it." He conjured up a huge bag of gold and chucked it at the two.

Ashley caught the bag with her magic. "Thank you."

Kamek's scowl grew. "Just hand over the princess."

Waluigi placed Princess Peach on the ground. "Take her. This whole thing is nuts!"

Kamek conjured up his broomstick and lifted Peach onto it. He sat on the front and flew off into the sky. "It's been nice doing business with you nuisances."

Waluigi and Ashley watched Kamek fly off into the sky.

Waluigi pulled off his costume and stuck it in his pack. "Well, Waluigi supposes we should go back to the hideout."

Ashley slung the bag of gold around. "Sounds good to me. This place is boring."

The two walked down the dirt path towards the village. On the way, they met a panting Alboort.

Waluigi patted the Boo on the head. "Don't worry Alboort. We got our pay. We can get out of here."

Alboort looked at the sack of gold. He swallowed the sack down. "I'll store this in our vault later. For now, let's just see about the getting back to the hideout before I collapse."

The gang turned around when they heard somebody running up the path. Toadsworth was dragging himself up the hill with his walking stick. "By my mother's marmalade! Come back here! Scoundrels! Hooligans!" He coughed. "Oh, I just can't keep up." He looked up. "Oh, Master Waluigi, what are you doing here?"

Waluigi froze. "Um, well."

Toadsworth's spectacles glinted. "Or perhaps I should say, Master Igiulaw?"

Waluigi and Alboort both flinched.

Toadsworth nodded smartly. "Yes. I might be old, but I'm not stupid. What were you doing trying to get a guard position in the castle, hmm?"

Waluigi played with his fingers. "Um, well, Waluigi heard Bowser was supposed to be kidnapping Peach, so Waluigi thought he could build himself a little fame by stopping him before hand."

Toadsworth stared at the group warily. "Oh really?"

Ashley sighed. "Why don't you just tell the old mushroom the truth that we're thieves?"

Alboort and Waluigi both flinched.

Toadsworth chuckled. "Well, now, that I can believe." He looked over at Waluigi. "But given how you all were walking back from the mountain pass, I will give the benefit of the doubt and believe that you did your best to save Princess Peach after cleaning out her vaults."

Alboort raised his hands up defensively. "Well, I can honestly say that Waluigi didn't crack open any of your vaults." He tugged at his bowtie. "You see, by thieves, our young Ashley here means like Robin Toad."

"Robin Toad? Really?" Toadsworth looked impressed. "Well then, perhaps the lot of you wouldn't mind proving yourselves and going off to rescue Princess Peach. You see, I found Mario incapacitated near the front doors of the castle, and Luigi is nowhere to be seen."

-Meanwhile, in a closet on the third floor of Peach's Castle-

Luigi pounded on the closet door. "Mama Mia! Will-a somebody let us out!"

Daisy was beating the snot out of the door. "Don't worry, Luigi. I'll have us out of here in no time."

-Back to the dirt road-

Alboort smiled. "Of course."

Waluigi looked down at Alboort. "What? Are you crazy! You actually want to go into Bowser's Castle?"

Toadsworth adjusted his spectacles. "Of course, I'm sure the princess would be willing to reward you greatly."

Waluigi took hold of his chin. "Okay. That sounds good to Waluigi."

Ashley spun her scepter. "And it sounds like this new castle is going to be exciting."

Toadsworth chuckled. "Well, I certainly hope that I don't sound like a mistrust the whole lot of you, but I would very much like to come along with all of you."

Alboort adjusted his glasses. "Actually, I was about to propose the same thing."

Waluigi patted Alboort on the head. "Hold on a minute. How about a huddle?"

Alboort turned to Waluigi. "Actually, Toadsworth may not look like much, but he was a pretty fair fighter in his day. He also is a master in diplomatics and would probably do well with undercover work."

Waluigi stared at Alboort for a moment. "Well, Waluigi's not sure, but it sounds promising."

Toadsworth walked past the two and raised his cane in the air. "Tallyho, then, lady and gentlemen. Off to Bowser's Castle."

Waluigi stared blankly after the old Toad. "Um, Waluigi has a van."

Toadsworth turned around and started walking the other way. "Tallyho, then. To the van!"

_Mission complete,_

_signed,_

_-Waluigi_

_-Alboort_

_-Ashley and Red_

---

Ha! I bet a whole lot of people thought I was going to choose Luigi, Mr. L, or Daisy for the new ally. Actually, I thought Toadsworth needed a little more limelight. Dasiy can go get her own game (Please don't take that wrong. She's one of my favorite characters.). And come on, who doesn't want to play as jolly old Toadsworth?

Well, that's two locations down, and I guess the next location is pretty obvious.

Please enjoy and review.


	20. Chapter 3 part 1

Chapter 3.1: Koopa Camera Shoot

Waluigi and the Gang were zooming down a road into some dark areas.

Waluigi laughed as he drove. "Say, anyone have any idea why why Mario would take that idiotically long route every time the princess gets captured rather than just take this expressway between the Mushroom Kingdom and Bowser's Kingdom?"

Ashley shrugged. "I don't even know who Mario is except for that picture you guys showed me."

Alboort floated to the front of the van. "Well, it's not like Mario has an actual car. All he has are those go-karts."

Waluigi held his chin. "Waluigi supposes that's true." He turned to Alboort. "Say, Alboort, about this saving Princess Peach thing."

Alboort looked back. "Don't worry about letting anything slip. Toadsworth is asleep."

Waluigi nodded. "Well, Waluigi just has to say that kidnapping the princess for Bowser and then going over to smack down Bowser, so we look like heroes, seems a little underhanded."

Alboort adjusted his glasses. "You think so?"

"One hundred percent low and sneaky." Waluigi grinned. "Waluigi loves it."

Alboort grinned. "I thought you might like it."

Ashley looked up from a map. "Our exit should be just up here."

Waluigi turned to Ashley. "Come on, Ash. The least sound a little excited about this."

Ashley glared over at Waluigi. "My name is Ashley."

"Ah, calm down, Ashley." Waluigi turned into the aforementioned exit. "Look, Waluigi might seem rather aggressive and self-righteous, but at least he is used to working on a team."

Ashley shrugged. "Whatever." She put the map down and pulled out a book.

Alboort turned to Waluigi. "It looks like we're just about in Bowser's territory. Keep an eye out for our new hideout."  
"Okay. Okay." Waluigi sped down the road. After a while, he elbowed Ashley. "Hey, Ash, you may want to look at this."

Ashley inhaled deeply. "My name's not Ash. And you better learn my name because it's-" Her eyes grew wide. "It's beautiful."

Waluigi scratched the back of his head. "Well, Waluigi will admit that Ashley is a nice name, but-" He looked up. "Oh, you mean the scenery."

Dark clouds swirled over volcanic terrain. A large horror movie castle stood out on the Volcano's ridge, a giant Bowser's head sticking out of the front.

Waluigi blinked a couple times. "Well, it certainly looks like a strong fortress." He snickered. "Waluigi can't wait to see what kind of loot Bowser has in there."

Alboort adjusted his glasses. "You really don't like Bowser, do you?"

Waluigi shook his head. "Waluigi hates the Red Fatso and the Green Bean a little more, but the Fat Lizard isn't a great pal of Waluigi's, either."

Alboort smiled. "So there shouldn't be any issues about messing up the castle."

Waluigi grinned. "Let's just grab the girl and the gold and get out of here."

"Well, I'm afraid it won't be quite that simple, but it's not the most complex plan ever." Alboort looked over to the side. "Oh, here's our new place."

Waluigi and Ashley looked over. There, in the middle of all the darkness and gloom, a single country house stood in the one ray of open sunlight.

Ashley reeled back in disgust. "What's that doing here?"

Waluigi turned around and looked Alboort in the face. "Waluigi is beginning to wonder about these freaky associates of yours."

Alboort frowned. "Quit complaining. I know it stands out, but it might as well be the haunted mansion of this area. Nobody goes near it." He tightened his bowtie. "Now, let's park and get moved in. You'll need to pull some reconnaissance tonight, Waluigi."

---

Waluigi walked out of the country house and pulled out his Thieftech. "Look, Alboort, Waluigi will admit that the beds are nice and that there is pretty good cable reception, but Waluigi still doesn't understand how a house like this could exist in Bowser's Kingdom."

"Waluigi, it's just monsoon season. The lack of sunlight prevents most plant growth, but it actually is pretty nice around here most of the year. That's why Bowser throws the Koopa Ball, to keep his subjects' spirits up." Alboort tapped a couple times on his keyboard. "But enough about the house. Head towards Bowser's Castle. I'll give you further instruction right before you enter."

Waluigi nodded. "Alright. Waluigi has to say, it's pretty nice that Bowser's Castle is only in walking distance." He flipped his Thieftech shut and stuck it in his pocket.

Waluigi ran through several stone pillars until he found himself beneath a Bowser statue. He looked around the statue to see the massive Bowser head that made up the front doors. He pulled out his Thieftech. "Okay, Alboort. Waluigi's at the castle."

Alboort adjusted his glasses. "Good. Now, before you go inside, I need you to take a picture of our target, Princess Peach. She should be standing on her balcony."

Waluigi raised an eyebrow. "What is it with her and balconies?"

Alboort shrugged. "Just get her picture. Now, I realize that there won't be any vines to climb up, but there should be plenty of stone ledges you can use."

"Okay. Waluigi's going up in the world." Waluigi flipped his Thieftech shut and pocketed it. He jumped on top of the Bowser statue and looked around. He jumped up, grabbed a ladge, and flipped himself up to the top of a small flattop hill. He looked around and jumped on another ledge on the mountain. He kept jumping and looking around until he had nearly rounded the whole castle. "Good grief! This castle is well camouflaged. Oh, wait a second." He pulled out his Thieftech and zoomed in. He clicked the button, and Princess Peach was captured on film."

Alboort replaced the picture. "Okay. Princess Peach is commonly captive to Bowser. She looks pretty comfortable. I suppose Bowser must keep a special suite for her."

"Say, Alboort. Waluigi's pretty sure he can just jump down and grab the princess."

Alboort shook his head. "I'm afraid we can't do that. If we did it now, Bowser would probably just kidnap her before the whole Koopa Ball started. Besides, it would raise too many questions from Princess Peach if you just landed on her balcony like a pigeon."

Waluigi shrugged. "It was just a suggestion."

"Yes. Well, just nix the idea for now." Alboort tapped a couple of times on his keyboard. "Now, go through the front doors. We don't necessarily need to be subtle here. All of Bowser's guards should be inside the palace, and unlike the Toads, you can smack the Koopas and Goombas as much as you want. They're used to it."

Waluigi grinned. "Thank heavens. Waluigi was worried he'd have to put that stupid Koopa costume back on."

Alboort smiled and shook his head. "Don't worry, you'll get your chance to be in disguise soon enough. For now, just run in and take the pictures. There should be a clear room that has full view of the ballroom on the third floor."

"Okay. Waluigi gets to the third and looks for a window on the inside. Should be easy enough." Waluigi flipped his Thieftech shut and looked around. He jumped down and ran towards the front doors.

As Waluigi crept through the doors, he looked both ways. He crept around the first floor until he found some stairs. He crept around the the second and third floors similarly. On the third floor, he looked inside the rooms until he found one with a curiously lighted window. "This looks like the room Alboort was talking about."

Waluigi ran into the room and towards the window. He pulled out his Thieftech. "Alboort, Waluigi's a little concerned. He didn't see any guards on his way up."

Alboort held his chin. "They must all be in helping to decorate the ballroom. Now, it might be a little crowded, but I need you to see about taking a picture of one of each of the following: A Koopa, a Goomba, a Hammer Brother, a Magikoopa, and a Dry Bones."

"Okay. That shouldn't be too hard for Waluigi." Waluigi switched his Thieftech to camera mode and looked around. He zoomed in on a Green Koopa and snapped its picture.

Alboort appeared on the screen. "Koopas make up a majority of Bowser's army. They're not particularly strong, but their shells provide them with some fair resistance to both physical and magical attacks." He adjusted his glasses. "As long as you avoid their beaks, they should be too hard of a fight."

Waluigi nodded. "Okay. So Koopas are nothing to worry about." He looked through his Thieftech again and looked around. He aimed in on a Goomba and snapped the shot.

Alboort nodded as he reappeared. "Goombas are also a pretty weak. They also don't have any means of defense. They do, however, come in large numbers, so it might be a bit difficult if the brawl gets too large."

"Right. So Waluigi is going to have to figure out how to take out a whole lot of Goombas with the least amount of attacks as possible. Got it." Waluigi held his chin. "So far, it doesn't seem as though it would be too hard to just bust into this joint."

Alboort adjusted his glasses. "Maybe not, but we still need to see some more."

"Okay. Okay. Waluigi's taking pictures." Waluigi switched his Thieftech back to camera mode and searched amongst the swarms. He zoomed in on a Koopa in a helmet and took the picture.

Alboort was examining his computer screen when he reappeared. "The Hammer Brother, along with the Boomerang Brother and Fire Brother, are specialists amongst the Koopa Troop. They spend a fair part of their day training, but they love games, especially if they get to clobber someone or something in the process."

"So Waluigi will just have to clobber them in a game first." Waluigi snickered. "Or are we just going to let Ashley blow them up?"

"No, I think you should handle them. Because they're elite soldiers, they've been granted a special magic coating. Ashley may have been able to take out the Koopa Brothers in the field, but she have difficulty dealing with a whole army of them in a confined area." Alboort tapped a couple of keys. "No, you're quick reflexes would probably do better at the job, but we'll talk about that later. Get the rest of the pictures."

"Okay. Sorry. Waluigi was just making sure he had the info." Waluigi pulled camera mode again and looked around. This time, he took a picture of a Koopa in a gown.

Alboort nodded as he reappeared on the screen. "Now, Magikoopas are a very vain group. Even though they have a special magic endurance, they usually enhance everyone else. Ashley could probably stir these guys into competition. But if all else fails, she could just drop a house on the whole lot of them."

"Okay, so we'll let Ashley take care of the magic." Waluigi looked around with his Thieftech. He paused when he came across a strange creature and took its picture. "Hey, Alboort, what's with this guy? He's all bones?"

"That's a Dry Bones. They seem to be reincarnated Koopas."

Waluigi frowned. "You mean they're dead guys? How are we supposed to fight that?"

Alboort clicked on his mouse a couple times. "We don't. I'd prefer to stay away from those guys, but Bowser may be using them to hide something." Alboort tapped a couple of keys. "Speaking of which, get a picture of King Koopa himself, and let's not forget his right-hand man, Kamek, and his children."

"That sounds like a heavy order." Waluigi spun his Thieftech on his finger. "But don't worry. Waluigi will take care of it." He placed the Thieftech next to his eye and looked through the window again. He was searching the ground, when something in the air caught his eye. He looked up and took a picture.

Alboort appeared on the screen. "Well, this looks like our good friend, Kamek."

Waluigi scowled. "The little fink tried to get away without paying us." He clenched a fist. "Waluigi would love to wipe that little jerk across the floor."

"Calm down, Waluigi. You have to remember that we're on their turf, now." Alboort tapped a couple of keys. "Kamek may be a traveling magician, but he also is very science-based. We'll have to come up with a strategy before we get him out of the way. We will need to get him out of the way, though, as he both deserves it and could get in the way."

Waluigi nodded. He switched back to camera mode and looked around again. He froze and quickly snapped a picture. "Alboort, what's going on here? Waluigi thought there was only one Bowser, but there's, like, ten of them down there."

"You're right, there is only one Bowser." Alboort adjusted his glasses. "These are Bowser's children."

"Bowser's children?!" Waluigi shook his head. "Waluigi means, he knew about Bowser Jr., but what about the rest of these guys."

"Oh. Mario knows the rest of these guys, well." Alboort clicked on his mouse several times and stared at his screen. "They seemed to have gone underground for a while, though. However, as you can see, they've spent quite a bit of time growing."

Waluigi swallowed. "Yeah. Waluigi doesn't like the idea of having to fight those freaks."

"Don't worry." Alboort's glasses glinted. "I'll come up with a way to get rid of them smoothly."

"Okay." Waluigi looked around for a second. "Oh, hold on a minute." He adjusted his Thieftech and zoomed in on Bowser. He snapped the photo. "There you are. The whole collection."

Alboort nodded. "It's nice, Waluigi. Bowser looks like a tough one, though. He also is very protective and offensive when it comes to Princess Peach. He's definitely going to show up as soon as we go for the princess." He adjusted his glasses. "Look, it's very likely that Bowser is going to give a speech about now. Try to listen in, and see what you can get."

Waluigi nodded and placed the Thieftech up to his eye and ear. He looked over the edge and cupped his ear.

Bowser walked up to the center of the room and roared loudly. After all the creatures in the room turned to him, he smiled and nodded. "My dear children, minions, and associates, as you all know, the Koopa Ball is tomorrow." He slammed his claws together. "Now, you all know that the Koopa Ball is one of the most important events of the year, so be sure to keep an eye out for anything suspicious. I don't want anything to interfere with my plans. Even though Mario and I have a sort of 'understanding' about this event, everyone here knows that Mario isn't our greatest ally." He chuckled. "So, if anyone sees him," his eyes darkened, "take no mercy."

Waluigi reeled back from the window. He laughed nervously. "Well, Waluigi's glad he's not Mario, then."

Alboort showed up on the Thieftech screen, nodding. "However, this does complicate our plans. It seems we're going to spend a great deal of time beating the brains out of the guards."

Waluigi snickered. "Sounds like something Ashley can be excited about."

"Yes, well, it's not going to be that simple." Alboort tapped a couple times on his computer. "Listen, just return to the hideout, and I'll come up with a strategy tonight. Because of how much energy will be needed tomorrow, I may even let you sleep in a bit."

"Okay. Waluigi's coming back." Waluigi crept over to the door and looked around outside. He went on to creep his way down and out of the castle.

_Mission complete,_

_signed,_

_-Waluigi_

---

If anyone is asking any questions about Waluigi's chat with Ashley, Waluigi has been on most of the Mario spin-offs. True, he didn't have good chemistry with a whole lot of characters in Mario baseball, but he should know about being a team player.

Of course, looking at this game, he'll probably need to have good chemistry with a whole lot more characters, like the Toads.

Anyways, this chapter should be pretty straightforward, so I may not take long updating.

Anyways, please enjoy and review.


	21. Chapter 3 part 2

Chapter 3.2: Find the Princess

Waluigi, Ashley, Red, and Toadsworth were sitting around the breakfast table. Alboort floated around the kitchen, putting together his slideshow.

As the others played with their dwindling meal, Alboort cleared his throat. He pulled out his projector button and clicked it, bringing up the picture of Bowser. "Okay. Now, we all know that Bowser is hosting the Koopa Ball, and he obviously doesn't want to be disturbed. Odds are that the guards are going to be fierce."

Waluigi laced his fingers together. "Well, Waluigi doesn't mind having to play dirty, but the odds seem pretty grim."

"I agree heartily." Alboort clicked the button, and Peach showed up on the screen. "For one, whereas Waluigi made the point that he could just scoop Princess Peach out of the window, but having the princess just disappear would just weird out everyone in the castle, particularly due to the fact that Mario always makes a show of it."

Toadsworth spun a finger in his mustache. "I would prefer that the princess was taken out of captivity as soon as possible, but you do have a point. Mario is the typical hero in this situation, but while he is in medical care at this current time, I suppose we'll need to see about saving the princess with our current conditions and in a way that would develop the usual result to these to these escapades."

"Indeed." Alboort adjusted his glasses. "But before we can even think about saving the princess, we'll need to figure out how to get up to her room." He clicked the button, and pictures of both a Hammer Brother and a Magikoopa. "Now, we're going to need to get rid of the more elite soldiers in Bowser's army. Koopas and Goombas only prove a threat in extreme numbers, but these two units are trained to be the best in their league, physical and magical. So, I believe that it would be best if we attacked them in their own training grounds with our own elitists, Waluigi and Ashley."

Waluigi grinned. "Lead Waluigi to the game, and he'll beat all those losers."

Ashley leaned back in her chair. "I'll show those fools what real magic is."

Alboort smiled. "I was hoping you two would say that. Now, I'm afraid we'll need to take care of these before the evening. We can wait until the afternoon, but we need to be sure that we do get this done in time for the party."

Red jumped up on the table. "Yay! A party!"

Toadsworth thumped the little demon over the head with his staff. "Now, see here, Master Red, you can't plan on going to a party dressed like that."

Red rubbed his head.

Toadsworth hopped off his chair. "Come with me, pip pip. I should have something about your size."

Alboort turned after the old Toad. "Don't take too long, Toadsworth. You're the first one to go out in the field."

---

Toadsworth hopped out of the front door of the country house. He pulled out a mushroom-topped Thieftech and pulled it open. "All right, Master Alboort, what do you need of me?"

Alboort tapped a couple of keys. He looked up and adjusted his glasses. "Well, Toadsworth, I know you aren't a formal member of the Waluigi Gang, but we do need you to look for a way to get into Princess Peach's room."

Toadsworth rubbed his chin. "Well, I'm afraid I'm not at the top of my game, dear boy." He pulled up his staff and tapped his back a couple times. "I doubt I could jump much higher than a stair at a time."

Alboort pushed his glasses up and looked at his screen. "Well, I think Princess Peach would trust you a whole lot sooner than Waluigi. So what can you do?"

Toadsworth planted his staff in the ground. "Well, though my body's old, I still have a lot of pop in my step. By shaking the Wii remote, I can run with the best of them."

Alboort nodded. "Well, what about attacks? I'm not saying we're planning on you fighting, but you will need some means of defending yourself."

Toadsworth adjusted his spectacles. "Well, by pressing the B button, I can give someone a smart rap on the head with my staff." He used his staff to tap his cap a couple times. "And the Z button let's me emit irritating spores which could give me a fair amount of time to make my escape."

Alboort held his chin. "Well, that might be all you need. Look, by pressing the 2 button, you can dress up in a costume that should help you get through most of the castle undetected. But that spore attack of yours should help if you get caught."

Toadsworth pulled off his small backpack and flipped it open. "By my grandfather's marmalade! What do you expect me to do with this?"

"It's a Goomba costume." Alboort tapped a couple times on his keyboard. "By wearing this, you should blend in with the other guards."

"That's not what I meant." He flapped the costume a couple times."Why does it have a mustache? I may have a mustache, but I can't say that I have ever seen a Goomba with such."

Alboort clicked a couple of times on his mouse and stared at his screen. "Well, according to my research, Goombas and Toads have a similar genetic structure. Older Goombas have been known to grow mustaches, and adding one could explain your more formal means of communication." He adjusted his glasses.

Toadsworth held his chin. "Well, I do suppose I do speak with a bit more class than your common fellow."

"Speaking of which, there may be passwords and such between the guards. While thinking of an answer, you should use the A, B, and C buttons to make up your mind." Alboort paused and looked ominously at the old Toad. "Take too long or choose the wrong answer, and I'm pretty sure the guards will catch on to you."

"Well, that certainly is rash judgment."

Alboort shrugged. "Hey, truth be told, the citizens of Bowser's Kingdom are rather smart, but like their king, they don't typically have a lot of common sense." He adjusted his glasses. "Remember, use your spore attack to run away and confuse your enemies."

Toadsworth looked at the costume one more time. "Well, it sounds like this might be a bit difficult." He held his staff in the air. "But I've faced worse odds in my younger days. Tally-ho!"

Alboort jumped. "Wait! Don't forget the costume."

Toadsworth stopped. "Oh, right."

"Also, I'm afraid most of our communications should be restricted." Alboort tapped a single key. "It could give you away, and I'm afraid Goombas don't have hands."

"Well, I suppose that is true." Toadsworth paused in thought for a moment. "I will contact you after meeting the princess, though."

"Sounds like a plan." Alboort disappeared from the Thieftech screen.

Toadsworth shut his Thieftech and stuck it in his vest pocket. He looked at the Goomba costume again and, with a shrug, put it on. "This is for the princess, after all."

Goomba Toadsworth walked up to the mouth of Bowser Castle. He pushed his way into the castle and looked around. After seeing the coast was clear, he waddled his way in.

Goomba Toadsworth waddled around for several minutes, looking at all the staircases. Soon, he paused in a corner and frowned. "By my grandfather's marmalade! I can't make heads of this castle! How am I ever supposed to find the princess's chambers?"

"Hey, old timer!"

Goomba Toadsworth jumped and turned around.

The Goomba guard smiled slyly. "You looking for Princess Peach's room? Heh. I can't blame ya. Everyone tries to take a sneak peek on her before the big event."

Goomba Toadsworth blinked a couple times before coughing awkwardly. "Do you mean to tell me you know where the princess's chambers are?"

"Woah! Hold on, pops!" The Goomba leaned shadily towards Goomba Toadsworth. "First I have to see if you're legit. You know, her location is supposed to be all hush hush to anyone who's not part of the guard."

"Oh." Goomba Toadsworth caught part of his mustache in his fang and curled it. "You mean you want a password."

The Goomba nodded. "Don't worry. King Bowser realizes that we Goombas don't have the best memory, so he gave us hints to offer to those who are having problems." He reeled back and cleared his throat. "Tell me the name of the leader of the Goombas."

_The leader of the Goombas, eh? Well, your classic knave would guess Bowser, but there is a different leader of the Goombas._ Goomba Toadsworth squatted. _Now, was his name Goomario, Goomboss, or Goombaron?"_

The Goomba stared suspiciously at Goomba Toadsworth. "Don't know the password, old man?"

Goomba Toadsworth jumped. "Why, no, dear boy, this old brain just needed a moment to think." He grinned. "Besides, everyone knows that the answer to that question Goomboss, dear boy."

The Goomba leaned back. "See, old man, not that hard." He gestured down the hall. "To get to the next floor that leads to Princess Peach's room, you should take the fourth door to the right."

"Thank you, lad." Goomba Toadsworth bowed and ran down the hall.

After Goomba Toadsworth made it to the second floor, he waddled down and found himself turning several times, seeing green and orange doors. He stared to his left and right. "Well, I do appreciate Bowser's eye for color. I must find out who his decorator is." He placed his head against a wall and rubbed it in. "But his architect must suffer from constant migraines. This construction makes almost no sense."

"You're telling me. I sometimes wonder if I'm going the right direction."

Goomba Toadsworth turned around to see another Goomba.

The Goomba did as close to a shrug as a Goomba could do. "Well, I'm guessing that you're looking for Princess Peach's room." He span around. "Well, I'm pretty sure I remember how to get up there, but King Bowser said I needed to get a password from any of the guards who want to get up there."

Goomba Toadsworth looked down at the surprisingly short Goomba. "Well, my dear boy, is their a hint." He looked up and motioned his chin to the top of his head. "I'm afraid this old brain of mine doesn't have the best memory."

"A hint?" The Goomba looked up and frowned. "Oh. Right. Bowser did say something about a hint. Let's see here." He frowned further and furrowed his brow. "Ah. Right. This strange king once pretended to be the great King Bowser himself."

"Pretended to be Kind Bowser?" Goomba Toadsworth caught his mustache on his fang again._ I believe I remember Luigi mentioning something like that. Was it King Boo, King K. Rool, or King Koopa. He paused and shook his head. What am I thinking? King Koopa is just another name for Bowser._

The Goomba sighed. "Look, I don't have all day. Do you know the password or not?"

Goomba Toadsworth cleared his throat. "Well, dear boy, I do appreciate your patience. You see, the answer must be King Boo."

The Goomba sighed again. "Looks like you're right." He gestured down the hall. "I believe there should be a pink door somewhere in that direction that should go up. Everything else is either a room or a deathtrap, so be careful."

Goomba Toadsworth bowed. "Thank you, young man." He waddled off in the gestured for direction. He soon found the pink door and made his way up to the third floor.

On the next level, there were only a few doors, but Goomba Toadsworth stopped. "Well, I certainly don't like the idea of walking into a deathtrap, but I do know I need to see Princess Peach." He looked around and soon found a sleeping Goomba. He waddled over and kicked him lightly. "Pardon me, young man."

The Goomba jumped up. "Who? What? When? Where?" He stopped and looked over at Goomba Toadsworth. He laughed nervously. "Oh, thank heavens. I was, like, worried that King Bowser might have, like, come up."

Goomba Toadsworth chuckled. "Oh. That's quite all right." He stopped and stared at the Goomba. "However, I do need to see the princess."

"Oh, who doesn't, man?" The Goomba smiled and leaned coolly away from Goomba Toadsworth. "But I'm afraid that's, like, a no-can-do, old dude. That is, unless you know the password."

Goomba Toadsworth swallowed. "Let me guess, it's not the same as the either of the last two floors', is it?"

The Goomba shook his head and laughed. "I'm afraid not." He winked at Goomba Toadsworth. "Like, don't worry, old dude. I'll give you a hint. You see, King Bowser, like, thinks this guy's nuts, seeing how he, like, thought he could marry Princess Peach."

"Marry Princess Peach?" Goomba Toadsworth's mouth dropped slightly. _Well, I do believe I remember the princess mentioning something like that. Now, would the answer be Bowser, Count Bleck, or Booster?_ He shook his head. _I'm thinking it again. Why would Bowser think himself nuts?_

The Goomba tapped his foot on the floor a couple times. "Yo, old dude, you do, like, know the password, right?"

"But of course, dear boy. The answer must be Booster." Goomba Toadsworth. "That cad certainly was off his rocker, wasn't he?"

"Dude, like, totally." The Goomba jumped over towards the array of doors. "This is the door you want to take, old dude. All the others are just oneway tickets back down to the first floor."

Goomba Toadsworth walked up to the door. "Thank you, young man." He walked through the door.

Goomba Toadsworth spent several minutes walking up the spiraling stairs of the tower. He soon found himself standing face-to-face with a Green Koopa. He bowed. "Well, hello there, my dear boy."

The Koopa crossed his arms. "What do you need with Princess Peach?"

"Well, I need to speak with her." Goomba Toadsworth paused for a moment. "You see, there are some preparations for the Koopa Ball I need to speak with her about."

The Koopa stared down at the phony Goomba. "Well, that does sound important." He leaned down to Goomba Toadsworth's level. "The question is, are you important enough to know the special password to get into Princess Peach's room."

"Well, I may need a bit of a reminder." Goomba Toadsworth tapped his head against the wall a couple times. "You see, I'm not quite all there, sometimes."

The Koopa placed a finger on the tip of his beak. "Well, I suppose King Bowser did say something about a hint. It is a difficult password after all." He looked down at the fake Goomba curiously. "Well, King Bowser said his special password is the name of his brother."

_The name of his brother? Does Bowser even have a brother?_ Goomba Toadsworth frowned. _Well, I do happen to know several possible candidates. Now, who would be the best choice, King K. Rool, Wart, or Ludwig Von Koopa?_ He scratched his head against the wall for a moment.

The Koopa crossed his arms again and turned away. "No password. No entrance."

"Wait!" Goomba Toadsworth scowled. "I'm not entirely sure, but I would have to say that I believe Wart is King Bowser's brother."

The Koopa's jaw dropped as he looked back at the fake Goomba. "Well, um, well, I guess you must be the real deal." He pushed up, and a trapdoor opened up above them. "Don't be too long, though. King Bowser is always a little on edge during the Koopa Ball."

Goomba Toadsworth nodded. He hopped up into the pink room.

Princess Peach jumped slightly when she saw her guest. "Oh, hello."

Goomba Toadsworth looked back at the trapdoor to see if it was shut. He turned around and pulled off his costume. "Hello, princess."

Peach's eyes grew wide. "Oh, Toadsworth!"

Toadsworth held a finger up to his mouth. "Quiet, princess. Nobody is supposed to know that I'm here." He pulled out his Thieftech. "Well, that is, nobody except the team I hired."

Peach blinked a couple times. "Oh. A team?"

Toadsworth nodded as he pressed a button on his Thieftech. "Excuse me, Master Alboort."

Alboort showed up on the screen. "Hello, Toadsworth. Did you find the princess?"

Toadsworth nodded. "Indeed I did, Master Alboort."

Princess Peach walked over. "Oh, who are you talking to?"

Toadsworth pulled the Thieftech a little closer to himself. "Well, this is a team of specialists. I'm afraid Master Mario is in sick leave, so I had to hire someone to rescue you."

Peach placed a finger to her cheek. "Oh my." She shook her head. "This isn't according to Bowser's plans at all."

Toadsworth shrugged. "I'm afraid it's what I've been left with as an option."

Princess Peach sat down on her provided bed. "All right. I guess we'll just have to see what happens."

Alboort cleared his throat. "Speaking of your hired team, Toadsworth, we need you to come back to the hideout before I risk any other members."

Toadsworth looked back at his Thieftech. "Quite right, Master Alboort. I'll be returning immediately." He shut the Thieftech and stuck it in his vest pocket. He flipped his costume back over his head and turned back to Princess Peach. "I'll see you later, my princess."

Peach smiled. "Okay."

Goomba Toadsworth walked over to the trapdoor and stomped on it a couple times. "I'm coming down now."

_Mission complete,_

_signed,_

_-Toadsworth_

---

Okay, Toadsworth's missions will be based more on talking than fighting. I thought that the Goomba outfit would do better for Toadsworth because Waluigi already has a Koopa costume.

Also, all the passwords mentioned are actual Mario characters. Well, King K. Rool is technically Donkey territory, but he still showed up in a couple Mario spin-offs.

Anyways, please enjoy and review.


	22. Chapter 3 part 3

Chapter 3.3: A Brotherly Game

Waluigi stepped out of the country house and pulled out his Thieftech. He looked around and frowned. "You know, Alboort, Waluigi still can't believe you had a contact that could find a house like this in Bowser's kingdom."

Alboort shook his head. "Would you forget about the house for a minute." He sighed. "Yes, I realize that it's weird that Boos run a business with such cheery homes, but business is business! And right now, you're business is stealing from Bowser."

Waluigi held his free hand up defensively. "Okay. Okay. Waluigi gets it." He lowered his hand and stared back at Alboort. "So what does Waluigi need to do?"

Alboort tapped a couple of times on his keyboard. "Well, before we go about taking the princess from the castle, we need to decrease their ranks a bit, especially the elite forces."

Waluigi held his chin and grinned. "Okay. So Waluigi just needs to go in there and crack a couple skulls, right?"

"Not exactly." Alboort adjusted his glasses. "Well, you're right for the most part, but you need to crack some specific skulls. You see, the Koopas and Goombas are nothing. Anybody on the team should be able to handle them. Also, I doubt you'd like being stuck in a room where everybody will be shooting lightning bolts at you."

Waluigi grimaced. "Waluigi doesn't like the idea of facing magic at all." He cupped his mouth and leaned closer to his Thieftech. "That's why Waluigi always makes sure not to tick off Ashley too bad."

"Uh-huh." Alboort stared oddly at Waluigi for a moment before returning to his computer screen. "Well, anyways, what I'm trying to say is that you need to go in and take out the Koopa Brother team. They specialize in physical attacks, something which I believe you can more than handle."

Waluigi grinned. He raised his foot up and chuckled. "Don't worry. Waluigi will stomp them all good."

"That's what I was hoping you'd say." Alboort tapped a couple times on his keyboard. "Now, given the numbers they have on their side, I've added an item to your inventory that should be of great help."

Waluigi paused and stared at the Boo for a moment. "Okay. Waluigi will bite." He reached back and felt around in his pack. When his hand crossed something soft and squishy, he pulled it out. He stared at the item for a minute. "A whiskered eggplant?" He shook his head and did a double take. "A whiskered eggplant!"

Alboort nodded. "That's right. A whiskered eggplant." He clicked on his mouse a few times. "You wouldn't believe how hard it was to find a supplier. Do you know what a whiskered eggplant does?"

Waluigi grinned. "Waluigi knows the whiskered eggplant very well. He just tosses it at someone, and they'll start tossing their cookies."

"Well, that's a crude description, but correct." He tapped a couple of keys and stared at his computer screen. "Now, you seem to have somehow developed a special immunity to the eggplant's toxins, but anyone else who so much as taps it will be left ill for a long while, making them either easy targets for attack or unable to chase after you if the battle seems too intense." He tapped a couple more keys. "It certainly sounds like you could have fun with this item, especially in a room full of enemies."

"You bet, Alboort." Waluigi snickered evilly. "Those Koopa Brothers won't know what hit them."

"I'm glad to hear that." Alboort adjusted his glasses and played with his mouse. "Now, I know you might not want to hear it, but you'll need to dress up as a Koopa for a while."

"What?" Waluigi shook his Thieftech. "Why does Waluigi need to go through his backaches again? He hates having to stretch those kinks out."

"I'm sorry." Alboort hurriedly tapped a couple keys. "But we can't risk a lot of possible suspicion yet. If you're feeling lucky, I suppose you could run in there as you are, but it could put the whole plan in danger."

Waluigi grabbed his chin and thought for a moment. "Well, Waluigi would prefer to avoid making the Fat Lizard suspicious." He nagged himself for a minute. "Okay. Waluigi will put the costume on."

"Okay. You could probably call me after you get inside. I'll be ready to help with anything."

"Yeah. Yeah. Waluigi's going." Waluigi flipped his Thieftech shut and stuck it in his pocket. He reached into his pack, pulled out the Koopa costume, and put it on. He looked around, and seeing the coast was clear, he started walking up to Bowser's castle.

Koopa Waluigi was soon walking through the front doors of Bowser's Castle. He walked down the hall, waving at every Goomba and Koopa he saw. He walked around the bottom level a couple times and stopped. Making sure the coast was clear first, he pulled out his Thieftech. "Alboort, before Waluigi gets too far into this place, he wants to know what level the Koopa Brothers should be on."

Alboort nodded. He tapped quickly on his keyboard and stared at his computer. "According to the castle's schematics, their training room should be on the first floor."

Koopa Waluigi looked around. "Waluigi's seen the first floor, but he can't tell which room the losers are in."

Alboort clicked his mouse a couple times. "Well, like I said, these soldiers don't have a lot of common sense. It's very likely that they would have placed a special insignia on the door to their training grounds."

"Special insignia?" Koopa Waluigi continued to look around. "But most of these doors are bl-" He paused and blinked a couple times. "Wait. Would this insignia happen to be something like a hammer and a boomerang shrouded in flame?"

Alboort adjusted his glasses. "Probably. Why do you ask?"

Koopa Waluigi held his chin and rubbed it. "Oh, Waluigi just has a feeling."

Alboort tapped a couple of keys and clicked his mouse a couple times. "Look. I don't want to distract you, so I'm going to tell you this now. The gloves are off. I don't care how. I won't ask how. Just use all you have, baseball bat, tennis racket, whiskered eggplant, feet, anything! All you need to do is get in there and smash the whole lot of them."

Koopa Waluigi grinned. "Sounds simple enough."

Alboort pulled on his bowtie. "Look. It might sound easy, but realize that there will be thirty of those soldiers in total. You have to top them all."

Koopa Waluigi laughed. "Don't worry. Waluigi will take care of those losers, no problem. He is number one, after all."

Alboort nodded. "Just hurry up and get in there. Every second we spend talking is another second someone could catch us."

Koopa Waluigi nodded. "Good point. Waluigi will just get in there and get the job done."

"Good. Just call me after you're done." Alboort pumped his arms. "And don't lose!"

Koopa Waluigi nodded, flipping his Thieftech shut and sticking it into his shell. He looked both ways and walked up to the door. He pushed it open and walked inside.

Inside the room, there were all kinds of Koopa Brothers throwing various weapons at targets. They completely ignored the fake Koopa.

Koopa Waluigi nodded. He pulled the costume off and stuck it in his pack, pulling the baseball bat back out. He walked over to the closest Hammer Brother and cracked him over the head.

The sound of the bat didn't go unnoticed. The rest of the troops in the room turned to see Waluigi.

One of the Boomerang Brothers pointed at the purple-clad man. "Seize the intruder!"

Waluigi soon found himself dodging hammers and boomerangs. He bashed a few more of the brothers over the head and ran around the room. "Ha! That the best you losers got!" He pulled out a whiskered eggplant and chucked it into the group.

Several of the specialized Koopas fell to the ground, moaning and holding their stomachs.

Waluigi snickered as he ran over, juggled the sick soldiers up, and smashed them into the ground. He jumped and ran out of the way of several more projectiles. He held his chin. "Okay. That's four down." He ran over to the Koopa Brothers he had knocked out earlier and smashed them with his special heel smash attack. "And that's nine."

A Fire Brother hopped to the front of the group. "Come on, men. Get that ugly twit!"

Waluigi paused for a minute. "Ugly?" He ground his teeth. "Oh. That tears it!" He pulled out whiskered eggplant after whiskered eggplant and threw them into the raging soldiers.

More Koopa Brothers ran in front of their fallen. They threw a little faster.

Waluigi grinned as he pulled out his tennis racket. He struck some of the hammers and boomerangs back at their throwers, knocking them out similarly to the baseball bat. The skinny man ran in and started slamming the soldiers left and right.

As Waluigi looked around at the dwindling troops, he started counting on his fingers. "Let's see. Waluigi thinks that's twenty-three." He looked over at the remaining soldiers. He pulled out a whiskered eggplant and chucked it at the Koopa Brothers.

A couple of the Koopa Brothers dodged the poisonous plant, but most were not so lucky.

Waluigi ran over to the remaining two Koopa soldiers and cracked them over the head with his baseball bat. He smiled as he slammed them all off one by one.

Waluigi laughed to himself as he looked around the cleared field. "Well, Waluigi guesses that's that." He paused. "No. Wait." He started counting on his fingers. As the hands filled out, he frowned. "That was only twenty-nine. Where's the last guy?"

Suddenly, the ground began to shake. Even the pillars holding up the room were going a bit askew.

Waluigi looked around. "What's going on?"

The door flew open, and a massive Koopa dusked through it. "Sorry I'm late, guys, but you wouldn't believe the line for breakfast. Then I got into an argument with that stupid Lakitu guy." He stood up, opening his eyes. "You know, a guy just has to real-" He stopped and stared around the room. "Oh, come on, I'm not that late."

Waluigi watched the massive Koopa. "Holy cow! What the heck is that!"

"Huh?" The massive Koopa looked down to see the thin man. "An intruder!" He pulled a massive hammer from behind his back. "Well, nobody gets past the Sledge brother." He heaved the massive hammer forward.

"Ahh!" Waluigi jumped out of the way as the hammer smashed its way into the wall. He turned back to the wall and gaped. "Yikes!"

The Sledge Brother turned to Waluigi and pulled out another sledgehammer.

Waluigi dodged the hammers for a couple minutes before pulling out a whiskered hammer. With another dodge, he flung the wretched plant at the giant Koopa Brother.

The Sledge Brother clutched his stomach and doubled over for a moment.

A moment was all Waluigi needed. He ran over and Earthquake Stomped on top of the heavy warrior. He kicked the ground-bound Koopa several times and cracked his over the head with his baseball bat.

The Sledge Brother groaned. "I'm not going down that easily." He pulled himself out of the ground.

Waluigi didn't waste any time. He cracked his baseball bat over the large Koopa's head and watched it fall back down. He juggled it up with his legs a couple times, and finished the soldier off with a powerful heel slam.

The Sledge Brother groaned. "Ow. Th-that hurts." He collapsed and dropped a hammer into the ground.

Waluigi looked the massive Koopa over. "Wow. Waluigi's glad this is the first floor." He pulled out his Thieftech. "Okay. Waluigi took out all thirty of these freaks."

Alboort adjusted his glasses. "Good. You wouldn't believe how mush stress that takes off my shoulders."

Waluigi looked down at his fallen enemy. "Yeah. Why didn't you tell Waluigi about Sledge Brothers?"

Alboort paused. "Sledge Brothers? I thought Bowser stopped using those."

Waluigi tapped his foot a couple times on the massive Koopa's back. "Well, Waluigi's standing on one right now."

Alboort shrugged. "Well, you were able to take care of it. Does it matter, then?"

Waluigi held his chin. "No. Waluigi guesses not."

Alboort smiled. "Good. Now, return to the hideout. Ashley is ready to take her turn."

"Okay." Waluigi ran over to the door and stopped. "Oh right. The costume." He pulled the Koopa costume out of his pack and put it on. He pulled the door open and walked through.

_Mission complete,_

_signed,_

_-Waluigi_

---

Okay. I just want to say that Sledge Brothers are a real character. They just haven't been used in games for a while.

Please enjoy and review.


	23. Chapter 3 part 4

Chapter 3.4: Curse Chaos

Ashley walked out of the country house. She pulled out her red Thieftech and flipped it open. "Alright, Alboort, I suppose you want me to fight the other side of the elite coin, the Magikoopas."

Alboort stared blankly at the witch. "Um, well, yes."

Ashley sighed. "You already said that during the slideshow earlier." She spun her scepter in her hand. "It's not like you need to repeat everything."

Alboort pushed his glasses up a bit. "Well, I suppose your right."

Ashley crossed her arms. "Just tell me what floor the Magikoopas should be on and how to find them."

Alboort tapped a couple times on his keyboard. "Well, I believe that the Magikoopa squad should be on the second floor. Their door should be decorated with a large red jewel."

Ashley rolled his eyes. "How predictable." She started running towards the castle.

"Wait!"

Ashley dug her heels in the ground and looked back at her Thieftech. "Oh, right. I forgot to put this thing away."

Alboort held his hands up. "No, no, no. You need to put your Magikoopa costume on. We don't want to arouse any suspicion."

Ashley sighed. "Fine." She flipped her Thieftech shut and pocketed it. She pulled off her backpack and pulled out her Magikoopa costume. Rolling her eyes, she put the costume on. After getting dressed, she flipped her scepter on her shoulder and made her way towards the castle.

Magikoopa Ashley walked through the front doors of the castle and looked both ways. She walked down the hall. When she found the stairs, she turned and started walking up. On the next floor, she looked both ways and turned left. She walked on for a couple minutes until she saw a massive red jewel hanging off a door.

Magikoopa Ashley walked up to the door, but stopped just before she entered. She rolled her eyes and pulled her Thieftech out of her pocket. "What is it, Alboort?"

Alboort pulled on his bowtie. "Well, it's just that I wanted to tell you that Magikoopas are both greatly vain and painfully irritable."

Magikoopa Ashley tapped her foot. "So what?"

Alboort played with his mouse for a minute. "Well, it's just that I wanted to tell you that if you attacked so much as one Magikoopa, odds are that the whole place will go up in a battle royale."

Magikoopa Ashley nodded curtly. "Look, thanks for the advice, but it's really unnecessary. I'm used to working alone, and I do best when working alone." She shrugged. "Well, I mean, Red helps me, but it's not like anybody else has gone out of their way to take care of us."

Alboort huffed. "Look, I don't have any problem with telling you that all of us here in the hideout are sticking our necks out for this. You may not think much about a fight, but you have to realize that you don't do this right that we'll probably all pay with our lives."

Magikoopa Ashley shook her head. "Fine. Just let me get this done, so I can come back to the hideout."

Alboort nodded. "Okay, but just be careful." He pushed his glasses up. "And if you continue to give me lip, I won't feel guilty about putting Waluigi on the Thieftech and letting you two argue for a couple hours."

Magikoopa Ashley merely shrugged and flipped her Thieftech shut. After putting the device away, she walked into the room.

In the next room, lots of Magikoopas were sitting around a cushioned room filled with bookshelves and arcane, flying teapots.

Magikoopa Ashley scoffed. "So much for being an intimidating lot." She walked through the crowds until she was in the back of the room. She turned around and looked amongst the many robed Koopas. "Let's see. If Magikoopas are irritable, I should probably find the Magikoopa who is most on edge." The fake Magikoopa continued to look around until she saw what she was looking for.

One Magikoopa was glaring at about everyone around him. He was holding two teacups, and both were emitting more steam than most of the other Magikoopas' cups.

Magikoopa Ashley raised her scepter up. "Okay. Let's get this just right."

Red appeared in the crystal. "Okay. Power is optimal, and accuracy is perfect."

Magikoopa Ashley nodded. She waved her scepter around and let loose a magical blast.

The on edge Magikoopa fell out of his chair from the force of the blast. After flailing for a moment, he jumped back up on his feet and looked around. "Okay. Which of the whole lot of you was the one who attacked me?"

All the Magikoopas in the room turned to their enraged colleague.

A Magikoopa in a green robe pushed his glasses up and waved the angry question off. "Calm down, Kumta. The Koopa Ball is in only a few hours away. Just drink some herbal tea and shut your quacker."

Kumta, the angered Magikoopa, stomped his feet. "Don't tell me what to do, Odar!" He raised his magic rod and blasted the Green Magikoopa.

Odar fell over and struggled. When he got up to his feet, he span his rod over his head. "Okay, Kumta, I was hoping I wouldn't have to do this, but you've left me no choice." He shot off a magic blast.

Kumta dodged the magic blast last second, letting it hit the Magikoopa behind him.

The blasted Magikoopa hopped back onto her feet. "Good grief. You two are acting like children!" She shot off a couple of magical blasts.

Soon, the entire room was nothing but screams and magic blasts.

Magikoopa Ashley looked around. She stepped to one side, avoiding a misfired blast. She sighed. "How predictable." She stared idly at her scepter. "It's almost boring."

Red appeared in the scepter's crystal and shrugged. "Well, not to sound uppity or anything, but I think we should wait until most of the Magikoopas have been taken out and take care of any stragglers." He turned around and started panicking. "Until then, Ashley, could we please move a little more. I don't like the idea of being hit by any of those magic blasts."

Magikoopa Ashley sighed and rolled her eyes. "Very well." She walked through the room, jumping occasionally to avoid the occasional floor-level blast. She shot off a couple magic blasts to hurry things up.

One Magikoopa fell to the ground and disappeared in a puff of smoke.

Magikoopa Ashley swirled her scepter in her hand. "Such a pathetic means to go unconscious. So cliché, and worth nothing more than show."

As the fake Magikoopa walked through the room, other Magikoopas fell to her left and right. She looked around at the collapsed and disappearing magicians. "It's a shame how many ingredients are slipping through our fingers right now."

Red turned to Ashley. "Are you sure you'd actually want to use an unconscious victim? It probably wouldn't do well for any of your potions."

Magikoopa Ashley shrugged. "You're probably right." She looked at the Magikoopa that had just fallen in front of her. "I also doubt that these creatures have any real potential as ingredients."

The Magikoopas kept dropping like flies while the little disguised witch kept walking through their smoking crowds.

Soon, though, the action start to dissipate.

Magikoopa Ashley looked around. "Oh, is it over already?"

One Magikoopa stood in the middle of the room, and it was none other than Kumta.

Kumta stomped his feet and growled. "Who are you to think that you're so special you can just walk away from a fight."

Magikoopa Ashley shrugged. "It doesn't matter whether you know or not."

Kumta's rod glowed harshly as his glasses flashed. He stomped even harder. "Show me some respect! I am the apprentice of none other than the great Kamek himself!"

Magikoopa Ashley raised her scepter and spun it. "Whatever."

Before Kumta could respond, he was hit by a strange green light. "Croak!"

Magikoopa Ashley walked over to the toad that was now sitting in the middle of the room. "What do you think, Red, does this look like a good ingredient?"

The toad hopped around, croaking.

Red stared down at the toad. "I don't think that would go according to plan."

Magikoopa Ashley sighed. "Fine." She pointed her scepter at the toad and blasted it.

Red nodded. "That looks to be it."

Magikoopa Ashley looked around. "Very well." She pulled out her Thieftech and flipped it open. "Okay. Alboort, I'm finished."

Alboort smiled. "Good job. Really, thanks a lot. You wouldn't believe how much this will help us with our double-cross tonight."

Magikoopa Ashley nodded. "I'm coming back to the hideout, now."

Alboort adjusted his glasses. "Well, that would be best, unless you're absolutely entertained with beating people up."

"Not really." Magikoopa Ashley spun her scepter in her hand. "These creatures are so boring."

Alboort tapped a couple keys. "Well, I think you might find some amusement later tonight. Just come back to the hideout, and I'll explain."

"Okay." Magikoopa Ashley walked over to the door and opened it.

_Mission complete,_

_signed,_

_-Ashley and Red_

---

Sorry for the shortness, but letting people beat each other up just shouldn't take very long.

If Ashley seems angsty or obnoxious, that's what I'm going for. It will eventually change.

Anyways, enjoy and review.


	24. Chapter 3 part 5

Chapter 3.5: Skeleton Keys

The Gang was sitting around the table, waiting for Alboort to finish setting up his projector and slides.

The Boo made a last systems check and pulled out his button. "Okay." He clicked the button, and a mixed picture of a Hammer Brother and Magikoopa showed up on the screen. "Thanks to Ashley and Waluigi, we've been able to eliminate our most imminent threats."

Waluigi snickered. "You kidding. Those guys were such total losers. Waluigi could have beat them all with one leg tied behind my back."

Ashley sighed and traced her finger across the table. "I have to admit that my opponents were nothing more than idiots with magic rods."

Alboort fiddled with the button. "Well, maybe you guys are 'number one' in your fields, but let's continue." He clicked the button, and Peach's photo showed up. "Also, we now know where the princess is, thanks to Toadsworth."

Toadsworth adjusted his spectacles. "Well, I'll admit that it wasn't as easy as you young rascals make it seem." He nodded. "But I'm glad that I was able to see the princess."

Alboort adjusted his glasses. "Well, the Koopa Ball should be starting any minute, meaning that we can sneak around without any problems. Even if any of the guards tell Bowser about an intruder, he wouldn't leave his party for the world."

Waluigi held his chin. "But what about Princess Peach? Waluigi means, wouldn't she be taken to the party."

Alboort shook his head. "The princess usually isn't brought into the party until late. I was able to access Bowser's computer, thank heavens he's more technology-based than the citizens of the Mushroom Kingdom." He looked up and tugged on his bowtie. "Anyways, the princess should be in her room for quite a while, now. So we can focus on other things." He clicked the button, and Dry Bones appeared on the screen. "For instance, I was able to hack a lot of the security measures, including both his vault code and finding a special escape route leading from the ballroom to the back of the castle. We're going to need Waluigi to pickpocket the keys off a couple of guards that will let us get into this escape route."

Waluigi took hold of his chin. "And Waluigi has to go up against skeletons." He sneered. "But Waluigi thought that those things were immortal."

"That's why you need to sneak up on them and steal the keys without being seen." Alboort clicked his button, and Kamek's photo took the screen. "Then I'll need to see about getting rid of Kamek."

Waluigi swiveled around in his chair. "Wait. Waluigi thought that Kamek was a Magikoopa. Shouldn't Ashley take care of him?"

Alboort shook his head. "Kamek might use magic, but he's also a technology lover. He was also the one who taught Bowser mechanical sciences." He clicked the button, and the eight Koopalings all appeared on the screen. "Besides, we need Ashley to take care of the Koopalings. The elite soldiers might be gone, but this gang could easily cause a whole lot more trouble for us."

Ashley looked at the screen for a minute. "You want me to take care of all these monsters?"

Alboort adjusted his glasses. "As long as you don't think it will be too much trouble."

A smile flickered at the edge of Ashley's mouth. "Now this sounds like a fight I can get into."

"Well, you're just going to have to wait." Alboort turned to Waluigi. "You'll need to go out and secure our exit, first."

Waluigi jumped to his feet. "Well, Waluigi will see what he can do."

---

Waluigi walked out of the country house. He pulled out his Thieftech. "Okay, Alboort. Waluigi just needs to go in there and pull out some keys, right?"

Alboort adjusted his glasses. "Well, it might sound easy, but realize that you can't just run around however you feel like."

Waluigi looked around. "Well, maybe Waluigi should go up to the castle before we get too in detail about this."

"Perhaps, but you should call me just before you go in." Alboort tapped a couple times on his keyboard. "You see, it'd probably be too dangerous to just let you walk in and risk being seen."

Waluigi nodded. He flipped his Thieftech shut and ran towards the castle. Just as he approached the doors, he flipped his Thieftech open again. "Say, Alboort, now that Waluigi thinks about it, how does he pick somebody's pocket."

Alboort jumped. "You mean to tell me that you've never picked someone's pocket before."

"Well, Waluigi has tried blowing people up before. He's defaced public property and has stolen quite a bit." He held his chin. "Nope. Waluigi doesn't remember ever picking someone's pocket before."

Alboort sighed. "Well. It's not that difficult. You just need to sneak up behind someone and press the C button to quickly snatch the contents of your victim's pocket."

Waluigi grinned. "That doesn't sound hard at all."

Alboort clicked a couple times on his keyboard. "Well, not to sound frank, but you can't pickpocket while in disguise."

"Oh, thank heavens." Waluigi pushed on his back, cracking it. "You wouldn't believe how glad Waluigi is to hear that."

"I can only imagine." Alboort tapped several keys. "Well, there should be four keys in total. But I can't say that there will only be four Dry Bones."

Waluigi raised an eyebrow. "Now that sounds a little tricky."

Alboort nodded. "Now, Dry Bones may be immortal, but if they cause you any trouble, just Earthquake Stomp them into the ground. But be careful. The sound could attract attention."

"Right. Waluigi will talk to you later." Waluigi flipped his Thieftech shut and placed it in his pocket. He turned and pushed the doors open.

Waluigi looked down both halls. He crept his way down to his right.

It took several minutes, but Waluigi found one Dry Bones shuffling its way down the hall. He walked up and looked over the skeleton's shoulder. He slowly lifted his hand, reached inside the hollow shell, and pulled out a fair-sized key.

"Wow." Waluigi looked back down at the Dry Bones. He jumped up and stomped on its head.

Waluigi looked around at the halls, listening to the echoes. "Okay. That was a little louder than Waluigi expected." He looked back when he heard the sound of clacking behind him. He ran and hid in an empty doorway.

After a silent moment, Waluigi looked around the corner to see a Dry Bones looking around its buried brother.

The new Dry Bones looked around for a minute and shrugged. It turned around and started stalking back down the hall.

Waluigi slid out of his doorway and snuck up on the retreating Dry Bones. He reached into its shell and felt around. Finding no key, he frowned. He stomped on the creature's skull and walked down the hall.

Waluigi had to take a few more minutes, but he soon found another Dry Bones. He walked up and started picking around its shell. He smiled as he pulled out another key. He stomped on its head and ran down the hall.

After turning a corner, Waluigi grabbed his chin. "Let's see. Waluigi found two keys on this floor, already, but not a lot of Dry Bones." He rubbed his chin for a moment. "Maybe Waluigi should check the next floor." He nodded and walked down the hall, searching for the stairs. It didn't take long before he found the stairs and started climbing up.

As Waluigi approached the second floor, he looked around both corners. "Let's see. The Dry Bones were walking clockwise on the first floor, so Waluigi should probably walk counterclockwise on this one." He crept down the hall, looking back and forth.

Waluigi soon saw a Dry Bones. He walked up to it and tried picking a key out of his shell. He pulled out his hand to see he had grabbed several gold coins. He raised an eyebrow. _Well, that's nifty. Let's dig a little further._

Waluigi reached into the shell again and pulled out a couple more coins. The third time, though, he pulled out nothing. He scowled and stomped on the Dry Bones's head. "So much for that guy." He walked down the hall.

The next time Waluigi saw a Dry Bones, it wasn't just one Dry Bones, but three. He hopped back behind the corner and watched them.

After a moment of watching, Waluigi crept up to the one in the back and picked its shell. He found several coins the first time, several more the second, and a golden key the third. Smiling, he hopped up and stomped on the Dry Bones.

The other two Dry Bones turned around after hearing the noise.

Waluigi looked up at the two. "Uh-oh." He ran down the hall as fast as he could.

The two Dry Bones circled the corner after Waluigi, they both got cracked over the head with his baseball bat.

Waluigi smirked and nodded cheerily. "That'll teach you two." He reached into one of the knocked out skeleton's shellsm but he only got a single coin from it. He reached into the other shell and...

"The last key." Waluigi looked down at the two Dry Bones and decided to stomp them into the ground. He looked down the hall both ways and pulled out his Thieftech. "Okay, Alboort, Waluigi did it."

Alboort adjusted is glasses. "Really? That fast?"

Waluigi held up all four keys. "Got them right here."

Alboort smirked. "Are you sure you've never pickpocketed before?"

Waluigi put the keys in his pocket. "Waluigi swears he has never picked anyone's pocket before." He stopped and pulled out a few coins. "Say, Waluigi got some coins from the Dry Bones."

Alboort stared at the coins for a moment. "Interesting. You may want to pickpocket other guards to see if they have coins in their pocket, too." He swallowed and tugged on his bowtie. "But for now, I'd like to see you come back to the hideout. While I'm going up against Kamek, I'd like to know that you're in a ready position to come save my tail."

Waluigi raised an eyebrow. "What about Ashley?"

Alboort swallowed again. "Well, I'm not sure if I'd feel safe with her. She probably wouldn't care if I got caught in the crossfire."

Waluigi shrugged and smirked. "Yeah. She does seem to excitable type."

Alboort frowned. "Just come back to the hideout."

Waluigi held his free hand up defensively. "Okay. Okay. Just a little joke." He flipped his Thieftech shut and ran down the hall.

_Mission complete,_

_signed,_

_-Waluigi_

---

Okay, another short chapter, but there just wasn't a lot of important dialogue.

Please enjoy and review.


	25. Chapter 3 part 6

Chapter 3.6: Kamek's Mess

Alboort floated out of the country house. He looked around and pulled out his Thieftech. "Okay, Waluigi, I'm going up to give Kamek a piece of my mind." He clenched his ghostly fist. "He's going to regret being a two-faced weasel."

Waluigi raised an eyebrow. "Waluigi thought you were going to get Kamek out of the way so he wouldn't mess up the plan to kidnap the princess." He held his chin for a moment. "Besides, aren't we stabbing Bowser in the back by going through all this trouble?"

Alboort's glasses and almost fell off his face. "Well, first off, I certainly hope that Toadsworth didn't hear you."

Waluigi waved the comment off. "Please. That guy spends too much time sleeping."

Alboort adjusted his glasses. "Okay. Well, it's a bit different between us and Kamek. He tried to weasel his way out in the middle of a deal. We at least waited until the deal was through before we tried anything."

Waluigi laughed. "Ah, Waluigi's just giving you a hard time." He winked. "Be sure to blast that loser an extra time for Waluigi."

Alboort smiled wryly. "Well, it's not like I'm using this as an excuse to just beat Kamek up. He does pose a threat on our plans."

"Okay. Waluigi gets it." Waluigi span his hand in the air flippantly. "Next question: How are you going to get up to where Kamek is? Last time Waluigi checked, that loser was flying around somewhere near the fifth floor."

"You're right." Alboort looked up at the volcanic castle. "Fortunately, despite it's antique look, Bowser's castle is rigged to the gills with circuits."

Waluigi held his chin. "Well, wouldn't the circuits be even crazier than the room structure? If Waluigi remembers right, you sent Toadsworth in to find Princess Peach because of how Bowser had the castle built."

"That's a good point. But don't worry." Alboort pulled out a printed out blueprint. "According to these schematics, Bowser knows his electrical designs better than his architectural designs. I just need to remember to go up more than to the side."

Waluigi nodded. "Okay. Look, Waluigi wants to get dinner eaten, so how about you call him back when you get to the fifth floor."

"All right." Alboort nodded. "Yeah. I'll probably need to focus on the wires anyway. When I hacked his computer systems, I found out that he likes to pump way too much electricity into his castle."

Waluigi's eyes grew wide. "Wow. The Fat Lizard must be loaded with gold to do something like that."

Alboort nodded. "Perhaps. He never seems to run out of money, seeing how he can always build a new castle every time Mario destroys it."

Waluigi grinned. "Okay. Waluigi's just going to stop talking, so you can go beat up Kamek, and we can hurry up and get to the big heist."

"Okay." Alboort shut his Thieftech and put it away. He looked around and floated his way toward the castle.

After Alboort entered Bowser's Castle, he looked both ways and started floating down the hall. "Okay, let's see. Plug-in. Plug-in. Pl-" He froze and disappeared when he heard clacking.

A Dry Bones walked down the hall towards Alboort. After passing the invisible Boo, it swiveled its skull around. It turned to the wall and removed a stone plate. After examining the inside of the area the stone had been removed from, it picked up the stone and replaced it. Turning back onto its path, it crackled its way down the hall.

After the Dry Bones was gone, Alboort reappeared and floated over to the place with the removable stone. He pulled it away from the wall and smiled. "A fuse box. That'll work." He shrunk down and phased into the circuitry.

After entering the electrical box, Alboort looked around. "Well, now the trick is to go up." He floated down the circuits until he found one going up. He adjusted his glasses, watching the electricity go up. "Well, there's no way I could jump up that thing or climb it." He tapped his head a couple times. "However, if I can time it just right, I could jump onto one of these electrical charges and ride it up safely." He floated over and jumped up, closing his eyes.

After a minute, Alboort opened his eyes. "Oh, wow. I wasn't really sure that's work." He looked up to see the top of the cord. "But I should probably jump off before I get crushed."

As the electrical charge reached the top, the Boo jumped off. He looked around and floated down the cord. "Now, if I've done my math right, I should be on the second floor." He continued floating down the cord. "Now, there should be another cord that goes uuu-"

Alboort shook his head after landing on an electrical charge. He looked up. "I'm also going to have to watch out for cords that go back down. He jumped off as he approached the top. "Now, to find a circuit that goes up."

Alboort floated for a while before finding a circuit that went up. He hopped onto the electrical charge and made his way up.

A similar process occurred on the third floor, and it seemed to go smoothly during the trip up from the fourth to the fifth floor.

Alboort looked up and swallowed. "A broken circuit!"

The electrical charge ended halfway up the line, and the Boo dropped down to the previous floor.

Alboort shook his head and put his glasses back on. "I'm going to remember to hold down the A button when I get close to the ground, so I can soften my fall." He looked around and jumped off of the circuit plate before another jolt came up. He looked back and adjusted his glasses. "Now to find a circuit that isn't broken."

It took a few minutes, but Alboort found a ride up to the fifth floor. There, he looked around for a bit. "Now, to find a way out. There should be a fuse box somewhere." He soon found himself in a cavernous room. "Here we go." He floated to the front and phased out of the circuits.

As Alboort landed on the stone floor, he looked around. He pulled out his Thieftech. "Okay, Waluigi, I'm on the fifth floor."

"Sounds good." Waluigi held his chin. "But how are you planning to get to Kamek? He's flying around the whole party while you're stuck on the ground."

Alboort nodded. "That's a good point. But I do have a plan." He pulled out one of his bombs. "If I can just find a balcony, I could set one of these up and blow it up to catch Kamek's attention. I'll then continue to set these off to catch the head Magikoopa's attention."

Waluigi raised an eyebrow. "But what about the other guards? Wouldn't they hear the explosions, too?"

Alboort adjusted his glasses. "I doubt it. Even though Bowser is a bit paranoid, his main floor is the fourth floor. Even if he was expecting Mario to show up at all during the Koopa Ball, guards would be posted in the the first four floors and Peach's tower. The fifth floor is all Kamek's."

Waluigi scratched his head. "But what will you do after you get that weasel's attention? Last time Waluigi check, you're still leaving Kamek in the air."

"Another good point." Alboort looked around. "I'll need to lead Kamek to his lab. There, I could probably blow up a couple of solutions to throw him off his broomstick. I can then beat him up with my tongue."

Waluigi pointed weakly at Alboort. "You know, Alboort, the fact that your main attack is licking people kind of creeps Waluigi out a little."

Alboort shrugged. "I'll admit, it's not the most sophisticated means of attack, but it's what we Boos do."

Waluigi nodded. "Well, you go show that weasel up real quick. And don't worry, if you have too much trouble, you can just call Waluigi, and he'll be out there as fast as he can."

Alboort sighed. "Thanks, Waluigi."

Waluigi shrugged. "Well, you and Waluigi are on the same team, and a team needs to support one another." He snickered. "And we can't let anyone beat a member of the team up until we start arguing over shares of the payoff."

Alboort laughed lightly. "I just hope I don't end up getting stuck between you and Ashley. Otherwise, my share might as well go to medical bills."  
Waluigi waved the comment off. "You and Waluigi can talk about that later. For now, just go out there and kick some Kamek rear!"

Alboort chuckled. "Okay. I get it. Yes, I was stalling, but I'm going now." He shut his Thieftech and put it away. Humming, he floated down the hall.

It took Alboort a few minutes, but he soon found a balcony jutting out over the party. He floated onto it and looked around for Kamek. After seeing the Magikoopa, he pulled out a bomb and set it on the balcony. "It's showtime." He floated back towards the hall and blew the bomb up."

Kamek looked down at the balcony. "What's that?" He flew down to the balcony. "Trespassers?"

When Alboort saw Kamek, he set another bomb up in the hall. He flew down a bit, setting the bomb off.

Kamek looked up. "Who is it!" He ran into the hall.

Alboort looked around the corner. "Okay. Now, I just need to lead him to the lab." He tapped his chin a couple times. "It should be a door with a red, a green, and a blue crystal on it." He looked back at Kamek. "Oh, I should probably set another bomb, so I can keep Kamek's attention." He strapped a bomb to the wall, floated away a bit, and pressed the button to blow the bomb up.

Kamek jumped on his broom. "Come here!" He flew down the hall.

Alboort nodded as he saw Kamek. He set a bomb down on the floor and floated down the hall.

Kamek heard the next explosion. He flew down the hall, grumbling, "Whoever this is, they're not very smart. For sabotage, they should be blowing up the bottom of the castle, not the top."

Alboort saw Kamek coming and turned. A glint caught his eye, and he turned to see a door with three crystals in it. "Here we are." He placed a bomb in front of the door and floated inside.

After Alboort had entered the lab, he turned to the door and disappeared.

Not long after, Kamek opened the door and flew into his lab. "Who's in here! Nobody's allowed in here!" He flew higher towards the room's high ceiling.

Alboort appeared and looked up at Kamek. The Magikoopa wasn't looking his direction, and he was sitting over a table with fuming bottles and other hazardous looking materials.

The Boo smirked. "This is too easy." He floated over and placed a bomb on the table. He floated away a bit and set the bomb off.

"What the-!" Before Kamek could respond, he was splashed by a geyser of multicolored potions and strange chemicals. He sputtered as he fell off his broomstick and landed with a thud.

Alboort didn't waste any time. He floated over and started lashing his ghastly tongue against the Magikoopa.

Kamek stood up. "You! What are you doing here?"

Alboort adjusted his glasses. "Well, I thought that you did deserve some payback for what you tried back at Peach's Castle." He looked down at his tongue. "And I don't see what you have to complain about. I'm using my tongue to attack, and you don't taste disgusting."

Kamek scowled. He grabbed his broomstick as it flew down to him and flew up on it. He turned to Alboort. "You don't like my taste, huh?" His magic rod started glowing. "Then taste this!"

Alboort dodged last second. "No, I don't think so." He dodged a couple more attacks, noticing that Kamek was flying over another table. "If I could just get over there and blow that up." He dodged another attack and sped forward. He placed a bomb on the table and flew away from it.

Kamek was blown out of the air by another chemical explosion. When he landed, he found himself being assaulted by Alboort's tongue again. After a few seconds, he called his broom down and flew over to the other side of the room. "Yuck! Disgusting!" He started letting loose two magic blasts at a time.

Alboort floated over to the table beneath the angry Magikoopa. He placed a bomb on a potion bottle and flew away.

Kamek was once again doused in hazardous liquids and careening down to the ground.

Alboort attacked the Magikoopa similarly to before. _Oh, this is so gross!_

Kamek stomped his feet and called his broom down. He flew away from the Boo, shaking his fist. "You'll pay for your impudence! Pay, I say!" He started shooting off three magic blasts at a time.

Alboort floated back and forth for a bit, having trouble seeing through the magic blasts. As he approached Kamek's position, though, he smirked. "With as smart as Kamek's supposed to be, you'd think he'd learn to stop flying over tables." He dodged a couple more magic blasts and placed a bomb on the table.

Kamek screamed as he was blasted by the fourth table's contents. He spiraled down and screamed as he was licked into submission by the Boo.

Soon, Kamek backed up and grabbed his head. "Curse you, Boo! You and those Yoshis! You're all disgusting with those tongues!" He fell over backwards and trembled. "So many tongues. So disgusting." He passed out.

Alboort floated over to his knocked out opponent. He smiled and pulled out his Thieftech. "Okay, Waluigi. I think Kamek's decided to go to bed early tonight."

Waluigi laughed. "Gave him the good old one-two punch, right?"

Alboort adjusted his glasses and grimaced. "No, I licked him."

Waluigi stared blankly at Alboort. "You know, that's still weird."

"I know." Alboort stuck his tongue out. "Look, can we talk about this later? I really just need to come back to the hideout and wash my tongue off."

Waluigi nodded. "You're not exactly subtle out in the field, either."

Alboort nodded. "I'll see you later." He put his Thieftech away and floated out of the lab.

_Mission complete,_

_signed_

_-Alboort_

---

Speaking of bombs, I'm betting everybody's wondering why I haven't given Bomb-ombs to Waluigi. Well, he's supposed to be the sneaky guy. Also, it would just seem cliché to chuck those explosive guys all over the place (as if saving Peach from Bowser isn't cliché).

Anyways, I might add Bomb-ombs later.

Also, the Koopas and the Goombas are at the Koopa Ball. That's why there are only Dry Bones in the hallway.

By the way, I call stages like these mini-bosses for the sole purpose that they are a fight with usually only one or two people who are not quite as powerful as the main boss.

For now, enjoy and review.


	26. Chapter 3 part 7

Chapter 3.7: Hide the Heirs

Ashley walked out of the front door of the country house. She pulled out her Thieftech and sighed. "Okay, Alboort, where am I going and what am I doing?"

Alboort tapped a couple of keys. "Well, from the best I can decipher these blueprints, the King Koopa family balcony should be on the fourth floor." He adjusted his glasses. "I'll tell you the job when you get up there."

Ashley paused. "So, that's it? No being Mr. Chatterbox or anything like that?"

Alboort furrowed his brow. "Look, I'm not going to lie, this job needs to be done as fast as possible. Just get in there, and I'll tell you what you need to get done."

Ashley shrugged. "Okay. That works for me." She flipped her Thieftech shut and looked over at the castle.

It didn't take long for the witch to get into the castle. She looked around and ran towards the main stairway.

On the second floor, Ashley turned to see a Dry Bones. Before it could so much as hop, she blasted the shell clean out of its body. She ran over the collapsed remains and looked left and right looking through each opening.

After several minutes, Ashley had made her way up to the third floor, through a few more, up to the fourth floor, and turned the whole soldier array into a graveyard. She looked around for a couple more minutes before pulling out her Thieftech."

Alboort looked up from his computer. "Oh, you're already there?"

"After a fashion." Ashley looked down both hallways. "Where is this balcony? I don't see it."

"Well, it's not an open balcony like the two Waluigi visited." Alboort tapped a couple keys. "It should have a figure of Bowser's head on it."

Ashley nodded, walking down the hall. "Speaking of Waluigi, where is he? I didn't see him back in the hideout."

Alboort clicked his mouse a couple times. "Don't worry, you'll see him soon. I needed him to run out real quick." He looked up and adjusted his glasses. "Why? are you worried about him?"

Ashley shrugged. "No. It's just that I thought it was my turn to take care of a mission."

Alboort tapped a couple of keys. "Okay. Just find the door." He paused. "It'd probably be best if you kept the Thieftech on. You know, so I can keep you clued in as to what you need to do."

"Fine." Ashley fastened her Thieftech over her ear and eye. Spinning her scepter in her hand, she walked down the hall.

Soon, Ashley was standing in front of the Bowser door. "Okay, Alboort, I'm here."

Alboort nodded. "Great. Now, back off a bit."

Ashley raised an eyebrow. "O-kay. I thought my job was to take out the Koopalings."

"Well, not exactly." Alboort tapped a couple keys. "You see, Koopa Rex, which is the species that Bowser and his children belong to, are primarily immune to magic. Now, I'm not saying you couldn't hurt them, but it would be difficult. Why, a majority of them would probably smirk your blasts off and smack you away."

"Children?" Ashley stood silent for a moment. "How could Bowser have children? I haven't exactly seen any female Koopas." She spun a lock of her hair around her finger. "At least, no Koopas that are spectacularly feminine."

Alboort smiled wryly at the witch. "Well, there doesn't seem to be any accurate records of Bowser ever having a wife." He tapped a couple of keys and stared at his computer screen. "However, there is a popular rumor that Princess Peach may be the Koopalings' mother."

"Un-huh." Ashley looked at the door. "Well, if my magic isn't going to hurt them, then what am I doing here?"

Alboort's glasses almost fell off his face. "What?"

Ashley shrugged. "Well, it's not like I do anything that isn't magic-oriented, so why have me here?"

Alboort swallowed and pushed his glasses up. "Wait! You're not surprised by the idea of Peach and Bowser having children together?" He tugged on his bowtie. "Waluigi nearly had a heart attack when I told him, and you would bet that I wouldn't tell Toadsworth if my life depended on it."

Ashley rolled her eyes. "Well, I suppose they just don't understand the magic world very well." She tapped the crystal on her scepter. "It's going to take a lot more than telling me that a princess and a dragon have had children to freak me out, though."

Alboort stared disbelievingly at Ashley.

Ashley crossed her arms. "Now, the job."

Alboort shook his head. "Right." He tapped a couple of keys. "Well, you see, Waluigi's actually waiting for my signal, and he'll run up and knock on the door. Bowser is sure to have one of his children come out to see who it is. Waluigi will then crack them over the head while they're not looking."

Ashley raised an eyebrow. "So what am I doing here? Sounds like this is a mission for Waluigi."

"Well, that's only part of the job. You see, we can't just leave them sitting in the middle of the hall." Alboort stared at his computer screen for a minute, rubbing his chin. "According to these blueprints, there should be a large chamber that opens out towards the hall."

Ashley nodded. "Now I get it. You want he to haul the suckers into that room, so nobody will be able to find the." She spun her scepter in her hand. "I suppose I could do it, but there's still a problem. Wouldn't Bowser become suspicious if none of his children come back to the balcony?"

"Bowser might be smart, but he doesn't have a lot of common sense." Alboort tapped on his keyboard a few times. "He'd probably think that either the conversation they're having is taking a long time, or he'll think that they used it for an excuse to join the party in a more direct manner."

Ashley fingered her scepter. "All right. Let's get this over with."

Alboort adjusted his glasses. "One more thing. We don't want to be known quite yet, so you need to stay out of sight until Waluigi has knocked out the Koopalings."

Ashley sighed. "Very well." She ran around the corner.

After a minute, Ashley looked around the corner to see Waluigi knock on the door. He hid behind it as something that looked like Bowser with massive blue hair. The purple clad man quickly slammed the door shut and smacked the creature over the head.

After Waluigi ran around the corner, Ashley ran around hers. She looked down at the Koopa. "Wow, you don't see that hairstyle anymore."

"Yes. That's Ludwig Von Koopa." Alboort tapped several keys. "He's the oldest of the Koopalings and heir to Bowser's empire. He specializes in musical talents."

Ashley raised an eyebrow. "Musical talents? Is he any good."

"Well, at first, no." Alboort clicked on his mouse. "But a few years ago, Mario somehow shook a flying ship that the teenage Koopa Prince was on, awakening a true ear for music. Noone's exactly sure if he still plays instruments."

Ashley shrugged. "Ah well. Let's just pitch him into this room." She pointed her scepter at Ludwig. A beam of magic wrapped around the Koopa. "Oh man, it's no wonderyou wanted me to carry these guys. They're huge and even heavier than they look."

Alboort nodded. "So you should probably hurry up and take him to the chamber. I've projected a destination marker on the specific door."

"All right, I get it. Just let me work." Ashley strained slightly as she carried the large reptole down the hall. She soon found the door and flipped it open. She threw the limp Koopa in and slammed the door shut.

Alboort tapped a couple keys. "Good job. Waluigi's already got the next kid down. Go get him."

Ashley gave a curt nod. She ran down the hall and skidded to a halt near the Bowser door. "Since when is rainbow a hair color?"

"Rainbow hair?" Alboort clicked on his mouse and stared at his computer screen. "Oh, that should be Lemmy Koopa, the second oldest." He held his chin. "It would make since that Bowser would start from the oldest and continue going down until the youngest."

Ashley stared down at the Koopa warily."The second oldest? But this guy's puny."

Alboort nodded. "Lemmy's has a past of sicknesses. His growth is stunted, he has a lazy eye, and it's unknown what his exact mental facility quality is."

Ashley shook her head disapprovingly. "It must stink to be him."

Alboort chuckled. "That's not how he sees it. He spends most of his time playing, especially on his performance ball. He's always dreamed about joining the circus."

Ashley rolled her eyes. "Interesting." She pointed her scepter at the Koopa and lifted him up. She ran down the hall and threw him in with the first. "Okay. Two down."

"And six to go." Alboort tapped a couple of keys. "But Waluigi's helping us. He's already knocked out another Koopa."

The screen split in half, and Waluigi appeared. "And this guy's huge. Took me three cracks with my bat to knock him out."

Alboort jumped. "Did I already show you how to use this feature, Waluigi?"

"Nah." Waluigi tapped his Thieftech screen. "Waluigi just found this button that says split-screen."

"Oh." Alboort fiddled with his hands. "Well, I suppose that those labels were handy." He turned back to Ashley. "Go back and get the next Koopa. Time's being wasted."

"Right." Ashley turned Waluigi off and ran back down the hall. She collided with something and fell backwards. She sat up and looked at what she had collided into. "What kind of monster is this?"

Alboort tapped a couple of keys. "That must be Roy Koopa, the third oldest and the tough guy in the pack."

"Tough guy?" Ashley raised an eyebrow. "But he's pink. All pink."

Alboort shrugged. "Some people think that pink is the color of true men. Roy will crack you over the head with his skull and ask questions later."

Ashley crossed her arms. "Well, he's going to be a pain to carry." She pointed her scepter at the pink Koopa and lifted him off the ground. She slowly carried him down the hall and wedged him through the door.

Alboort nodded.

Ashley stared at him silently. "Look, I don;t mind the info, but I get it that Waluigi is knocking Koopas out while I'm walking down here. Okay?"

Alboort shut his mouth. "Oh. Okay."

Ashley ran back down to the Bowser door and stopped. "Wow. This guy wears glasses that look even stupider than yours."

Alboort raised an eyebrow. "I'll take that as a compliment." He looked back at his computer screen. "Anyways, that must be Iggy Koopa. He's the fourth oldest and the inventor of the group. He's the smartest out of all the Koopas. Well, some say that Ludwig is smarter, Ludwig doesn't care to show off his intelligence."

"So he's an even bigger egghead than you." Ashley tilted her head to one side. "Must be one of those irony things: the stupider the glasses, the smarter the brain."

"Enough with the glasses jokes." Alboort crossed his arms. "Just get the job done."

"Fine." Ashley pointed her scepter at Iggy, muttering under her breath "I bet Waluigi would have thought it was funny."

Alboort stared at Ashley. "What was that about Waluigi?"

"Nothing!" Ashley turned down the hall. "Just let me stuff this guy in the closet. Sheesh!" She ran down the hall and threw the Koopa in with his brothers.

This time, when Ashley ran back, she almost fell over. "What happened here? Did Waluigi knock out Peach?"

Alboort jumped. "What? That can't be possible! Princess Peach isn't scheduled to be brought down for a while." He filed through his computer, tapping keys and clicking his mouse like crazy. "Oh. You must be looking at Wendy O'Koopa. She must have grown hair since her last encounter with Mario. Flip her over and you'll see the obvious differences."

"I'll take your word for it." Ashley pointed her scepter at the Koopa and paused. "Wait. So is this the only female Koopa?"

"Well, I'm sure there are other female Koopas." Alboort adjusted his glasses. "But Wendy is Bowser's only daughter. She also is a brat and thinks herself the most attractive thing in the world. I suppose she might specialize in seduction techniques, if she's hit puberty yet. And given the Koopalings' size, I'm pretty sure they're adults and that she has hit puberty."

"Puberty, shmuberty." Ashley raised Wendy over her head. "I'm just going to take this Koopa over and put her away before you get all scientific and lecture-crazed." She ran down the hall, opened the marked door, and threw the female Koopa in with the rest.

Ashley sighed as she walked back. "More than halfway there. I'm getting there." She looked down at the Koopa at her feet. "Okay. This guy looks like a total weirdo."

"Yes, Morton Jr. Koopa must look a little strange. His unique appearance is only surpassed by his unique mouth." Alboort grabbed his head. "Aand it's a good thing Waluigi already knocked that mouth shut. Morton Jr. never stops talking."

Ashley eyed the white-headed Koopa. "Okay. So how about I shut him up in a room before his mouth stops being shut."

"Sounds like a good idea."

Ashley whipped the Koopa over her head and ran him down the hall. She threw him in and slammed the door shut. She turned and ran back to the Bowser door. "Two more left." She raised an eyebrow. "Good grief. More blue hair. I thought Bowser had red hair."

"Larry Koopa. The sporty one." Alboort tapped several keys. "He may be the youngest of the original seven Koopalings, but he is one of the most active. Baseball, soccer, football, basketball, he plays them all."

"Okay. So one of the youngest is the biggest jock." Ashley rolled her eyes. "Why am I even listening to you? I don't even care about these guys' biographies."

Alboort shrugged. "I don't know, but it gives you something to listen to while you work."

"I suppose that's true." Ashley pucked Larry up. "But I'd rather just get this over with." She ran down the hall and increased the collection of trapped Koopas. She returned to the Bowser door. "By the way, you said the original Koopalings, so who's the eighth guy?"

Alboort adjusted his glasses. "Bowser Jr. Koopa. He's the youngest, most likely still in the crib when Mario faced Bowser's other children the first couple times. He likes to use his magic paintbrush in battle, and he likes to think himself as evil as his father."

"Sounds like he's an annoying little imp." Ashley looked down at Bowser Jr. "But putting him away means I am done with this." She picked the small Koopa up and carried him down the hall. She threw him in with the other Koopalings and slammed the door shut. "And I'm done."

"Looks like it." Alboort clicked on his mouse a couple times and adjusted his glasses."I certainly hope that you aren't too tired because we need you pumped for tonight."

"No, I'm not tired. Just bored." She crossed her arms. "I was really expecting this to be a more exciting job."

Alboort shrugged. "Well, you should probably get out of there, just in case Bowser does it suspicious."

"All right." Ashley pulled her Thieftech off, flipped it shut, and stuck it in her pocket.

_Mission complete,_

_signed,_

_-Ashley and Red_

---

Okay, I just thought I should at least mention the Koopalings. I realize that Bowser Jr. technically isn't a Koopalings, but he's a son of Bowser, so I count him a Koopaling.

Also, I suppose Waluigi's baseball bat must seem all powerful, but it's just that these characters are running that fast.

The Bowser heist is up next, so stay tuned.

Please enjoy and review.


	27. Chapter 3 part 8

Chapter 3.8: Operation: Peach Picker

The gang waited at the table as Alboort made up a makeshift slideshow.

Waluigi laid his chin in his hand. "Say, Alboort, you mind speeding up a little?"

Red jumped up on the table, dressed in a small tuxedo. "Yeah. I want to go to the party!"

Alboort floated over to the table, projector in hand. "I'm coming. I'm coming." He laid the projector on the table and quickly set it up. He clicked the button, and something like a third grader's title page showed up on the screen.

Waluigi covered his mouth and snickered, while Ashley smirked slightly.

Alboort adjusted his glasses. "I'm better with computers than designing slides." He cleared his throat. "Anyways, the time has come for Operation: Peach Picker."

Waluigi nodded. "What's the big deal? Waluigi jumps in, plucks the princess from her balcony, and jumps out."

Alboort huffed. "I've told you before, Waluigi, that it isn't going to be so easy." He clicked the button, and a Koopa and Goomba showed up in the screen. "Actually, you and Toadsworth need to take out Princess Peach's escorts for the evening and take their place."

Toadsworth tugged on his mustache. "Well, it seems a bit crass, but if it gets the princess out, I'll do it."

Alboort nodded. "Good." He clicked the button, and a split picture of Bowser and Princess Peach showed up. "After Princess Peach has been escorted down to the Koopa Ball, Waluigi and Toadsworth need to stand at the ready. After I take care of the vault, I'll give them the signal by sneaking up to the Bowser statue in the back of the ball and blasting it to pieces."

Waluigi raised his eyebrow. "Waluigi thought we were supposed to be sneaky about this."

"Not when we're trying to quick out of the whole shebang quickly." Alboort adjusted his glasses and waved his other arm about wildly. "I'm serious. As soon as the signal is given, Waluigi needs to grab the princess, and he, Toadsworth, and I just need to run out of there like the whole place is exploding."

Ashley looked at Red, raising her eyebrow. She turned to Alboort. "And what are we supposed to be doing?"

"It's quite simple." Alboort span his projector button in his hand. "You two just need to wait for the signal, and during the confusion, you need to take our place and knock out the King of the Koopas. We can't risk him following us in the Koopa Clown Car."

Ashley let a fair-sized smile grow across her face. "Now that will be exciting."

Alboort adjusted his glasses. "Okay. Let's just hurry up and get this done. Not only are we on a schedule, the longer we wait means that Bowser could catch onto us."

---

Waluigi walked out of the front door, Toadsworth in close tow.

The purple-clad thief pulled out his Thieftech. "Okay, Alboort," he looked back at Toadsworth. "How is this supposed to work?"

Alboort tapped a couple of keys. "This isn't rocket science, Waluigi. You just run in and stepped on a couple of guards' heads."

Waluigi frowned and pointed over his shoulder. "Waluigi meant about this guy."

"Oh." Alboort adjusted his glasses. "Well, that's not hard, either. Like I said before, Toadsworth is very energetic for his age, so it's not hard to imagine that he could keep up with you."

Waluigi looked back at Toadsworth and raised an eyebrow. "You ready to go, old timer?"

Toadsworth adjusted his spectacles. "Quite so and tally-ho!" He ran forward.

Waluigi jumped up and ran ahead. "Hey. Hold up!" It didn't take long for him to catch up to the old Toad. "Without Waluigi, you ain't going to get anywhere."

Toadsworth looked up at Waluigi. "Most likely." He coughed a couple times. "Then you take lead."

Waluigi nodded and ran forward. He looked back at his Thieftech. "Okay, Alboort, how is Waluigi supposed to know who the escorts are?"

Alboort held his chin. "Well, they should be the only Koopa and Goomba in the hallways." He clicked his mouse a couple times. "But to be sure, I should have a destination marker sitting over their head." He turned back to Waluigi. "Listen, I'm going to be heading out soon, so our communications will have to be limited. In fact, we should probably avoid talking to each other until we make our getaway."

Waluigi nodded. "Oh, Waluigi gets you. Bowser might get suspicious if one of his staff makes a strange phone call."

"Exactly." Alboort hopped up from his seat. "I'm going out now. Don't forget to put your costumes on after you take out the real escorts."

Waluigi smiled. "You got it, buster." He flipped his Thieftech shut and stuck it in his pocket. He skidded to a halt in front of the main entrance to Bowser's castle and turned to Toadsworth. "Okay, old timer, you just keep behind Waluigi until he gets rid of the guards."

Toadsworth adjusted his spectacles. "I say, dear boy, you could be a bit more respectable."

Waluigi looked back at the doors. "Maybe later." He kicked the doors open and walked in. "Right now, though, Bowser doesn't need any respect." He turned back to Toadsworth. "You coming, old timer?"

Toadsworth spun his staff in his hands. "On your heels, dear boy."

Waluigi nodded. He pulled his Thieftech out of his pocket and set it over his eye. He looked around and ran down the hall. He soon found the Koopa and Goomba with destination markers over their heads. He ran over and kicked the Koopa into the air, slamming it into the ground. He turned to the Goomba and kicked it into the wall.

Toadsworth walked up to Waluigi. "I say, you don't suppose those two might have had a key or something we would have needed, do you?"

Waluigi looked at where the two guards had been. He shrugged. "Alboort didn't say anything about it." He looked down at Toadsworth, pulling his Koopa costume out of his pack. "So, you know where the princess is?"

Toadsworth pulled out his Goomba costume and slipped it on. "Indeed, I do." He made a last few adjustments to his costume and walked over to the a door down the hall. "Just follow me."

Koopa Waluigi followed Goomba Toadsworth up through the strange doors until they were spiraling up Princess Peach's tower. It wasn't long until they reached the top.

A single Koopa sat at the top of the stairs. He jumped up when he saw the two characters walking up the stairs. "Halt. Who goes there?"

Koopa Waluigi raised his hands defensively. "Hey, calm down. The escort just came up for the princess."

The Koopa smiled. "Oh good." He paused. "Wait. How can I be sure you two are the escort?"

Goomba Toadsworth hopped up beside Koopa Waluigi. "Well, my dear boy, there must be some sort of password with a hint."

"Oh right." The Koopa tapped his head a couple times. "Okay. That's right. Um, well, I believe that this password is the name of this crazy person who fused with themselves with King Bowser to create one of the most frightening creatures of all time." He shifted his eyes from left and right. "Not that there are a whole lot of creatures more fearsome than King Bowser."

"Quite so, dear boy." Goomba Toadsworth furrowed his brow. _Let's see, fused with Bowser, eh? Who could that be? Well, I do remember Mario saying that he did say he saw Bowser fused to create a monstrous psycho. But who fused with Bowser? Was it Cackletta, Bowletta, or Dry Bowser?_ He caught a bit of his mustache with his fang and curled it. _Well, Dry Bowser was a fierce monster, but that was more of a ritual-summoned beast. Bowletta also sounds more like another form of Bowser, and it does sound like it shares a similar name to Cackletta, so..._ "The answer must be Cackletta."

The Koopa nodded smiled. "Oh, thank heavens that you guys came. I was afraid that King Bowser had forgotten about this and that I would miss the entire Koopa Ball." He walked past the two and down the stairs. "See you two down at the party."

Koopa Waluigi and Goomba Toadsworth watched the Koopa walk down the stairs.

Koopa Waluigi turned to his associate. "So, we just go in and get the princess now, right?"

Goomba Toadsworth nodded. He hopped up the stairs and knocked the trap door open.

Princess Peach jumped. "Oh my. Is it time already? I just need a couple minutes to finish my hair."

Goomba Toadsworth walked over to the princess. "Pardon my intrusion, princess. I suppose we could wait a few minutes more." He pulled off the top of his Goomba head and winked at the princess. "One of my associates did say we could spare a little time."

"Oh, Toadsworth." Princess Peach turned back to the mirror. "Well, this seems a little sudden."

Koopa Waluigi popped his head up into the room. "You two want to hurry? Alboort said we needed to get down to the Koopa Ball for the big escape."

Princess Peach's eyes grew wide. "Oh."

Toadsworth held his hands up. "Don't worry. That is merely another one of my associates."

"Ah." Princess Peach turned back to her mirror. "But he doesn't sound much like a Koopa."

"Well, no." Toadsworth stuck his Goomba costume back on. "You see. They're costumes. Otherwise, we'd never be able to infiltrate the Koopa Ball."

"Well, that's clever." Princess Peach stood up. "And it probably is best that you're taking me down to the Koopa Ball, first." She held her hand up. "Don't get me wrong. But this event does mean a lot to Bowser, and Mario usually doesn't show up until the day after."

Koopa Waluigi sighed. "Then it's time to go down to the Koopa Ball already."

Goomba Toadsworth turned towards the fake Koopa. "All right. All right. We're coming!" He hopped over to the trap door, Princess Peach following close behind.

The threesome made their way down the halls and up and down stairs until they arrived at Bowser's balcony.

Bowser turned around when he heard the door open. "Ah. So the time is finally at claw." He stood up and gestured for Princess Peach to come up to the balcony."

Peach lowered her voice. "You two are supposed to follow, no matter what. Bowser thinks it's only polite." She walked forward.

After the princess walked up beside him, Bowser turned and looked over the balcony's edge. "My dear citizens, I present to you... Princess Peach!"

The crowd of monsters below started cheering.

Bowser grinned toothily. He wrapped an arm around Princess Peach's waist and took hold of the ledge. He jumped over and plummeted to the floor, landing squarely on his feet. "And now we can get the big events of the Ball started!"

The crowd cheered louder.

Koopa Waluigi and Goomba Toadsworth looked over the edge.

Goomba Toadsworth swallowed. "By my grandfather's marmalade, that is quite a drop."

Koopa Waluigi shrugged. "Well, Peach said to follow her." He grabbed the fake Goomba's head and jumped onto the railing. "So here we go." He screamed as he jumped off the edge.

---

Alboort searched around every corner. He soon found himself floating down stairs that went deep into the ground. He swallowed lightly as he watched the torchlights pass. He looked down the stairs. "Well, I suppose that Bowser must depend more on scare tactics than strategic layout."

The Boo turned to find himself face to face with a Bowser statue. He screamed, floated backwards, and disappeared.

After a minute, he reappeared and uncovered his glasses. He pushed them up his face. "Oh, a statue." He swallowed and laughed nervously. "I swear, if I wasn't a ghost, I probably would have died from a heart attack by now." He floated around the statue and went forward. He soon found a red door, twisted the handle, and floated through.

The next room was a cavernous nightmare. Lava bubbled viciously around several stones. Several of the stones lined up towards a large hill in the middle with a vault on it.

Alboort swallowed heavily, tugging on his bowtie. "Well, it's probably a good thing that I can glide slowly by holding the A button after jumping." He backed up from the lava. "Otherwise, I'd be fried to a crisp."

After several minutes of mental preparation, Alboort quickly jumped from stone to stone. As soon as he approached the hill, he quickly floated up to the vault and clung to it.

Alboort panted heavily. "Okay. Okay. I'm good now." He floated back a bit and adjusted his glasses. He smirked slightly. "It seems that Bowser has a similar mentality as Princess Peach. 13-13-13? Honestly, I realize that Bowser likes fear, and I realize that his common sense is little, if any. I just can't understand why someone who can build machines and airships without so much as a blueprint would think such a simple code to be a smart one." He sighed and laughed quietly. "Oh well, his loss is out gain."

In less than a minute, the genius Boo unlocked the vault, threw the door open, and sucked up all the treasure that was inside. He turned back to the stones and floated between them until he was back on the main shore.

The Boo panted slightly, adjusting his glasses. "I really need to see about working on my cardio, if nothing else." He floated through the open door and up the stairs.

After several minutes, Alboort opened a door that went into the Koopa Ball. He quickly floated in and disappeared. After a minute, he reappeared realizing that all the partygoers were staring at a stage in the middle of the room.

Alboort wiped his brow. "Now, to see about that main statue." He floated around the edge, his eyes shifting around the room.

On stage, Bowser cleared his throat. He roared joyously. "All right. After all this night's activities, it's the time you have all waited for." He gestured towards the side of the stage.

Several Koopas carried a table with a big wheel on it onto the stage. They set it down between Bowser and Peach and ran off the stage, smiling.

Bowser smiled. He leaned against the table, growling out a laugh. "And now, Peach, you know how this goes."

Princess Peach smiled nervously. "Yes." She walked up to the table.

Bowser held up his hand to stop the princess. He turned to the crowds and raised both arms. "I give you the Wedding Wheel."

The crowd exploded into cheers.

Koopa Waluigi leaned over to Goomba Toadsworth. "What the heck is a Wedding Wheel?"

Goomba Toadsworth leaned towards his companion. "I know about this. Truth be told, I've tagged along with the princess during some of these kidnappings. The Wedding Wheel is the reason why Bowser kidnaps Princess Peach for the Koopa Ball. Just listen, and I'll bet the old Koopa will explain."

Bowser grinned as he leaned over the table. "Well, Peach, you know the game. You spin the wheel, and we watch it until it stops. There are only two options. Either you accept my proposal for marriage, or we simply wait until next time."

Princess Peach nodded. "I know how it works." She took hold of the wheel near the decision arrow and pulled it into spinning.

Koopa Waluigi raised an eyebrow. "This seems a little unfair."

Goomba Toadsworth shrugged. "Well, Bowser did make the acceptance spaces about twice as large as the refusal ones, but he did give the princess a sporting chance by giving both choices four spaces."

Koopa Waluigi shook his head. "Not that." He pointed at the table. "See? Bowser has his arm up where only someone on stage could see it. He could easily stop the wheel whenever he felt like it."

Goomba Toadsworth frowned. "Now see here, dear boy. I realize that Bowser may be a cheat and a tyrant, but I do not believe he would-"

Bowser's finger raised up to the side of the wheel and sunk in quickly, stopping the spinning on impact.

Goomba Toadsworth smiled sheepishly. "Well, it's not like I was the one who raised him."

Bowser, having completely ignored the background commentary, looked over the Wedding Wheel. After a minute, he growled and clutched his head. "Very well, Peach. I suppose that you don't have to accept this time."

Koopa Waluigi gaped. Not turning away from Bowser and Peach, he leaned down to Goomba Toadsworth. "Why would Bowser prevent Princess Peach from marrying him on purpose?"

Goomba Toadsworth laughed nervously. "Well, it's a simple explanation-"

Several explosions blasted rocks from behind the stage.

Goomba Toadsworth jumped and turned around. He pulled his costume off. "But now is not the time to explain! Grab the princess, and let's get out of here!"

"Right behind you." Koopa Waluigi quickly tore off his Koopa costume. He ran over and plucked Princess Peach up as she and Bowser looked around at the falling stones and chaos-filled crowd. He ran towards the back of the ballroom with Toadsworth.

Alboort fumbled with the gold keys as rocks collapsed around him. He pulled one out and slammed it into the keyhole.

Waluigi and Toadsworth pushed the Boo into the hall. The three of them continued to run down the hall until they came to the next door.

Princess Peach calmed down and looked around from Waluigi's shoulder. "Why is Waluigi here?"

Toadsworth chuckled. "Well, dear princess, he was close at hand and able to save you at the time, so I hired him."

Alboort wrenched the door open and floated through.

As the group entered the next part of the escape route, Waluigi jumped out of the way of a falling stone. He scowled. "Say, Alboort, you want to know something?"

Alboort was already deciding which key to use on the next door. "What, Waluigi?"

Waluigi frowned. "Waluigi thinks the Fat Lizard decided to use this as an escape route because he knew he could only use it if his castle was collapsing!"

Alboort tugged on his bowtie. "Well, I wasn't expecting that statue to be a main support for the castle." He stuck the third gold key into the third door and pulled it open.

In the next chamber, the gang stopped and admired the treasures lining the hall.

Alboort floated ahead. "Well, it looks like this hall is more stable than the previous. You can grab any gold you like, but we have to hurry. I have no idea how much longer Bowser is going to be distracted, so we need to get out of here as soon as possible."

Waluigi grinned as he ran over and started stuffing his pockets with some fair-sized. He quickly followed the others to the last door.

As soon as the three and the princess were out of the castle, they ran around the castle and towards the hideout.

It didn't take them long to arrive at the front doors.

Alboort pushed his glasses up and smiled. "Well, that was close."

Waluigi put Princess Peach on the ground. "It's not over yet." He ran forward.

Alboort jumped. "Waluigi! What are you doing!"

Waluigi turned back, smiling. "I'm going to go help Ashley. That Fat Lizard is one tough customer."

"Well, hurry." Alboort slumped slightly. He turned to Toadsworth and Peach. "I sure hope he comes back. I can't drive a stick shift."

Toadsworth adjusted his spectacles. "Well, I've grown up driving a stick shift." He gripped firmly on his staff and gold scepter. "But I do hope that Master Waluigi does come back safely."

Alboort stared at Toadsworth and smiled. "I knew you would make a good addition to our gang of thieves."

Toadsworth looked down at the ruby-tipped scepter in his hand. "What? This? Oh, well, you see, I just needed a second staff to speed up my step. We were running from a collapsing building, after all."

Alboort chuckled. "Whatever." He pulled out his Thieftech. "Whatever."

Toadsworth waved his staff in the air. "I'm serious, young man."

---

Bowser uncovered his head as the shuddering of the castle ended. He looked around to see various Koopas and Goombas hiding beneath debris. The one thing he didn't see was... "Princess Peach! Peach!"

Ashley watched from the fourth floor balcony. "Should we go now, Red?"

The little imp nodded. "Looks like it. The rest of the gang just ran out, and should probably get this done before anymore tremors occur."

Ashley nodded. "Then let's go." She held out her hand.

Red smiled as he jumped up into the air. He turned into a broomstick and landed in Ashley's hand.

Ashley jumped up and landed on her broom, gliding down to the floor. When she reached the bottom, she spun the broom, and it turned into her magic scepter.

Bowser turned to the newcomer. He growled. "Who in blazes are you?"

Ashley tapped the crystal on her scepter. "I'm just here to prevent you from chasing my group." She looked up and tilted her head. "I think you know it as the Waluigi gang."

"What!" Bowser's roar echoed through the stone room. "The Waluigi Gang!" He stomped back and forth. He soon stopped and huffed slightly, glaring over at the witch. "You know, one day. One day, for a little party, is all I ask for." Fire blazed from his mouth. "Is that so much to ask for!"

Ashley shrugged. "Alboort thought you'd be ticked off. That's why he sent me to stop you," she held her scepter out and posed dramatically, "Ashley, the strongest member of the Waluigi Gang!"

Bowser paused as he stared at Ashley. A light laugh crossed his face as fire licked his lips. "The strongest? You?" Bowser laughed loudly. "You're a harmless little girl. Why would you be the strongest?" He roared hysterically. "I always knew Waluigi was too much of a coward to fight me."

Ashley smirked. "Don't let yourself be fooled by my innocent demeanor."

Bowser laughed evilly. "Go on. I don't have time for little girls. Listen, I need to get to my Clown Car, and you're in the way. So why don't you go play with your dolls, or comb your hair, or whatever it is little girls do these days?"

Ashley's eyes flashed like lightning. "I will cast a hex on you like no other."

Bowser glared at Ashley, growling. "Look, you stubborn little brat, if you aren't going to get out of my way," He held his claws up, letting them glint in the firelight. "Then I'll just have to destroy you."

Ashley smiled. "I was hoping you'd say that." She held her scepter up high. "Now is time for you to be pun-" She paused and reached into her pocket. "Yeah, Alboort, what is it?"

Alboort adjusted his glasses. "Well, if you're free, I was thinking that you could have just left the castle as it collapsed." He sighed listlessly. "But knowing you, you're probably already fighting the King of the Koopas."

Ashley jumped out of the way of Bowser as he ran forward and slashed at her. She looked down at her Thieftech. "I suppose you could say that."

Alboort nodded. "Listen, I know you're not going to like to here this, but you have to refrain from magic. Bowser not only immune to magic due to being a Koopa Rex. He also is a leading master in black magic, so it's not hard to guess he's added a magic coating to his shell."

Ashley shrugged. "SO let me guess. You want me to run around him, use the C button to pick up things like stones and Koopa, and throw them at Bowser by pressing the A button."

Alboort adjusted his glasses. "Well, yeah, that's pretty much it."

Ashley stepped back as fire exited Bowser's mouth. She looked back at her Thieftech. "Listen, if you feel the need to tell me things like this, then how about you do it before I'm fighting five-ton dragons that could slice steel with his claws."

Alboort grumbled under his breath. "Okay, sorry. I guess I'll just be shutting up now."

"Thank you." Ashley flipped her Thieftech shut and put it in her pocket. She hopped around Bowser until she got a fair distance between him and herself. She turned to a nearby rock, picked it up off the ground, aimed it, and threw it straight at Bowser's head.

Bowser stepped back and growled, rubbing his head. "You little br-" Another stone hit him in the head. "You little-" And another. "You-" And another.

Bowser growled. He quickly vanished and appeared next to Ashley. He slashed at her, missing by a fraction of an inch.

Ashley ducked out of the way of swipes and fire breaths. When she got too far, though, she found Bowser teleporting in front of her. Soon, she picked up another stone and through it at the massive Koopa while he was charging up a plume of flame. Sh followed up by grabbing a couple Koopas and throwing them at Bowser like baseballs.

Bowser reeled back a bit, but his eyes only grew brighter. He shot several fireballs in the witch's direction.

Ashley nimbly danced out of the way of the fireballs. She picked up another rock and threw it at Bowser. "Oh, shut up all ready."

Bowser growled and threw more fireballs from his mouth. He missed, only to receive several more rocks to the head.

While Bowser was recovering from a blow, Ashley picked up a stone thrice as large as any of the others. She aimed it and threw it at the King of the Koopas.

Bowser was catapulted by the massive boulder. He was slammed into the wall, leaving only on of his fists exposed.

Ashley walked over. She span her scepter in her hands and planted it in the ground. "Remember, I'm the cruelest girl you'll ever meet."

The claw twitched slightly. Soon, the entire stone was thrown off of Bowser. He stepped forward, his eyes literally aflame. "Well, brat! You might be the cruelest girl I'll ever meet." Flames blasted from his mouth as he let out an earth-shattering roar He stomped heatedly towards the little witch. "But I'm the cruelest Koopa you'll ever meet!"

Ashley turned to run towards the discarded boulder. When she was halfway across the room, though, she heard a powerful crash. She turned around.

Waluigi stood on an even bigger boulder that had fallen from the ceiling and onto Bowser. He jumped down. "Well, well, look at who just got squished by his own castle. You really should be careful where you're roaring."

The castle rumbled, and more stones started to fall.

Waluigi looked up. "Uh-oh." He turned to Ashley. "Look, Ash, the doors are all blocked off, so we're going to have to go up."

Ashley huffed. "I can get up to the roof by myself."

"I bet you could." Waluigi grabbed Ashley by the arm and hoisted her onto his back. "But we don't have the time to find that out right now." He looked up and started jumping onto falling stones. He jumped quickly from stone to stone until he reached the roof. He ran across the crumbling castle and jumped off the edge just as it collapsed.

As the two landed on the ground, the purple van drove up to the castle.

Alboort and Toadsworth stepped out of the van.

The Boo looked over at the mess of scattered stones. "Could you have cut that any closer?"

Waluigi grinned and shrugged. "Well, I had to go back to save Ashley." He patted the young witch on the head. "This isn't the Waluigi Gang, after all. This is Team Waluigi! We're pals who have to look out for each other."

Ashley looked up at Waluigi. "Pals?"

Waluigi nodded. "Yeah. You know, teammates, pals, buddies, friends, you watch my back, I watch your back."

Ashley looked down. "I've never had any friends before."

Waluigi snickered. "Well, you're just going to have to learn to how friends treat each other. I'll teach you."

Alboort adjusted his glasses. "Waluigi, are you actually talking in the first person."

Waluigi looked up at the Boo. "Is Waluigi doing what?"

Alboort sighed and shook his head. "Never mind."

Red turned back to normal and landed at Ashley's feet. He looked up and laughed. "Ashley, are you blushing?"

Ashley's cheeks reddened a little more. "Do you want me to put you into my next potion?"

Red paled and jumped. "I didn't say anything."

Waluigi walked over to the van and tapped on its side. "So in the princess in there?"

Toadsworth nodded. "In there safe and sound. She seems to be resting after all the excitement, though."

Waluigi nodded. "Okay. Then it's time to get out of here!" He walked forward and placed a hand on Toadsworth's head. "By the way, old timer, nobody drives Waluigi's van but Waluigi."

As the group walked towards the various doors on the van, they stopped when they heard stones crumbling. They all turned around to see rocks crumbling off a mound.

Alboort turned to Ashley and Waluigi. "You guys did take care of Bowser, right?"

Ashley nodded. "No one could still be standing after the pummeling he received."

"Yeah." Waluigi pointed at Ashley. "Ash beat him up right good, and I knocked him out cold with a powerhouse of a boulder, let alone the whole castle falling on top of him."

Alboort tugged on his bowtie. "Then who could that-"

The last boulder flew off the pile, and four Koopalings looked around.

Ludwig Von Koopa pointed directly at the gang. "You! Vere you the vuns who, as they say, brought down the house?"

Alboort jumped into the van.

Waluigi leaned against his door. "Yeah. What about it?"

Roy cracked his neck. "Well, I have to say that these guys were pretty lucky they hid beneath me." He turned towards the mess of stone. "Maybe if Morton worked a little more on his muscles than his mouth, he wouldn't have gotten crushed." He cracked his back and smiled. "But this destruction is awesome."

Iggy pulled out a notepad and pencil and scribbled down some numbers. "Actually, our siblings should be able to recover from their current coma in several days."

Ludwig crossed his arms. "But are you the vuns who destroyed father's castle? Who are you, anyvays?"

Waluigi spread his arms open. "We're Team Waluigi, the number one team of thieves."

Wendy stretched herself on a larger stone. "Thieves, huh?" She looked around. "I sure hope you guys live more glamorously than here."

Waluigi paused. "What do you mean?"

"Ve are coming vith you." Ludwig nodded. "It would be nice to get out of father's shadow."

Roy cracked his knuckles, towering over the van. "Sounds awesome. I've been wanting to get some real action forever!"

Waluigi raised an eyebrow. "And why would Waluigi let you join?" He gestured towards the collapsed castle. "As you can see, this team took out big ol' Bowser."

Alboort floated out of the van. "Well, when you think about it, it's not such a bad idea. They are all specialists in their fields."

Toadsworth walked out from behind the van. "Well, if the lot of you hooligans plan on coming along, you're going to have to behave yourselves."

The four Koopalings, yes, even the currently ten-foot-tall Roy, backed up a bit.

Roy shuddered as he pointed at Toadsworth. "Woah man! It's, like, the old Toad dude." He covered his bald head. "Okay, old guy, there's no need for any discipline."

Waluigi, Ashley, and Alboort all looked at the Toadsworth, raising eyebrows.

Toadsworth turned to the rest of the group. "Well, like I said earlier, I had been kidnapped along with the princess." He spun his staff and pointed it at the Koopalings. "Someone had to teach this lot their manners." He dug his staff into the ground. "With permission from the princess, I could help keep them in line."

Waluigi stared blankly at the old Toad. He looked up at the four Koopalings. "Well, Waluigi's not exactly sure." He patter the purple van a couple times. "He's going to need a bigger van, first."

Iggy reached into his lab coat pocket and pulled out a wrench. "I could take care of that, no problem. And it you let us join, no charge."

---

In the back of the new and improved van, Alboort looked around at the sleeping princess, Toadsworth, and Koopalings. He looked up at the front to see Waluigi examining a jewel while he drove. Ashley and Red slumped a little to the left, asleep.

Alboort adjusted his glasses and turned back to his computer. He opened up his cyber-journal and started typing.

_Well things didn't quite go according to my predicted plans._

Alboort up at the gang again and smiled.

_However, I must say that this may be even better than I planned. This new alliance with such specialists as Iggy, Roy, and Ludwig Von Koopa could allow for a whole new range of heists._

_I can't wait to see what great treasure we'll be going after next. No matter what it is, I doubt that it'll be safe from this group._

_Mission complete,_

_signed,_

_-Waluigi_

_-Alboort_

_-Ashley and Red_

_-Toadsworth_

---

Okay, that's three locations down, and a start on the more interesting aspects.

If you're wondering why Waluigi could defeat Bowser so quickly, if you look at Mario Party 3, you'll see that the purple plumber took out the King Koopa without breaking a sweat. The only time that Bowser has the upper hand is when he has machinery or explosives. Besides, Ashley weakened the King of the Koopas down a fair bit.

And what is Toadsworth hiding? I don't know. It's probably a Nintendo secret.

As for the Koopalings? Well, I can't promise that they'll all make a sizable affect on each chapter, but they needed some more attention then they've gotten. I also couldn't use all of them, so I used the ones with more distinguished personalities. I'm not saying that I hate the others. I just like characters with a lot of pep.

By the way, pay attention to how often Waluigi talks in the first person from now on. It represents that Waluigi is starting to stop being so self-righteous and caring about more people than just himself and Wario.

Anyways, where next and who's the next ally is yet to come, so stay tuned.

Please enjoy and review.


	28. Chapter 4 part 0

Chapter 4.0: Let's Go Bananas!

Alboort sat in a large hotel room on the top floor. He adjusted his glasses as he opened the up his laptop and accessed his cyber-journal.

_Well, things have been pretty good so far. We've been touring the countryside. There are plenty of hotels here with casinos, and it's been proved rather prosperous for our group. Iggy and Ludwig have proved to be rather clever when it comes to card counting, and Ashley has been increasing Waluigi's luck, so that Waluigi could 'legally' play the slot machines and clear them out. Roy has been following his brothers around, intimidating anyone who questions their winning streak, and Wendy has taken her time to trick many a man out of his fortune._

_After we had dropped off Princess Peach, we thought that Toadsworth would have left our group. However, the old Toad seemed pretty enticed by our active living, so he got permission from the princess to come along with us. He, too, has been playing the casino, and his experience proves to help him judge when to hold and when to play._

_Yep, we're pretty much sitting on top of nothing more than a fortune that would make most people jealous. However, even though this tour has been fun, I'm a little worried we might get rusty with all this relaxation._

Alboort smiled and shrugged.

_But I suppose that I should see what I can contribute to the team. Boos like their fun, too._

_Until next time,_

_Alboort._

Alboort closed his cyber-journal, and he was just about to shut his laptop, when something caught his eye. He clicked on his e-mail button and watched a message with bananas frame pop up. He adjusted his glasses and looked closely.

_Dear Team Waluigi,_

_Look, I'm going to be frank with you. That son of mine finally got himself in trouble. He's been seeing both Candy and Pauline for the longest time, and he finally goofed up and saw them both on the same night at the same time. As for the time being, he's been laid up for medical attention._

_Anyways, to get to the point, given how Donkey Kong is out of action and Diddy Kong won't leave his bedside, we need someone to keep King K. Rool in line. I've heard about your recent activities concerning Bowser, so I thought you'd like to the see about our lizard problem._

_Yours truly,_

_Cranky Kong_

Alboort re-read the message a couple times. "Going to Kong Country, huh? Well, that certainly should excite the gang. It's a job, and the tropical island would make it feel like a vacation. I have to go tell Waluigi." He shut his laptop and floated towards the door.

---

Yeah, I know Donkey Kong Country isn't really a Mario World Game, but Donkey Kong and the other Kongs have made pretty big scenes in the Mario spin-offs recently, so Waluigi, being a spin-off-based character, should be able to access the islands.

I just hope you all enjoy, and please review.


	29. Chapter 4 part 1

Chapter 4.1: The King's Photographer

Waluigi and the gang stood on the edge of the ferry as they neared Kong island. As the ferry docked, they heard someone calling up at them.

"Are you guys the ones known as Team Waluigi."

Alboort looked down at the elderly ape on the dock. "That depends. Are you Cranky Kong, our benefactor?"

The old ape nodded, stroking his beard. "Come on down, and let me get a look at you all."

Alboort nodded. He turned to Waluigi. "Get the van ready."

Waluigi smiled and ran to his enhanced van. The rest of the gang followed him into the van. When they were all seated, he pounded on the gas, and the van flew off the ramp on the back of the ferry. They crunched into the sand of the beach.

Cranky Kong growled as he approached the van. "I realize you guys aren't locals, but the least you could do is not act crazy!"

Waluigi stepped out of the van. "Hey, it's not like Waluigi smashed into any of your trees or anything."

Cranky Kong waved his cane around. "That doesn't matter. We can't just have you mucking up our sands with that machine."

Alboort flew out of the back of the van. "Well, I certainly apologize about this. I guess I forgot that there isn't a great deal of technology here in Kong Country."

Cranky Kong stabbed his cane into the ground. "Well, we have enough technology on the island. I just don't want you destroying any our nicer spots." He pulled on his beard. "But what about the rest of this team. You have to realize that the Kremling Krew is a pretty powerful gang."

Waluigi banged on the side of the van. "Okay, people, time to say hello to the old monkey."

Ashley opened her door in the front and stepped out of the van, Red perched on her shoulder. "Well, this certainly is a sunny place." She placed her hand over her eyes. "I hate it already."

Cranky Kong huffed. "Why, I never."

Alboort held his hands up defensively. "Please excuse her. You have to realize that, as thieves, we don't necessarily get our staff from the heights of society."

"Who doesn't come from the heights of society?" Wendy swaggered her way out of the back of the van. "I happen to be a princess, thank you."

Cranky Kong jumped back. "What is blazes!"

Iggy, Ludwig, and Roy followed their sister out of the van.

Cranky Kong pointed at the four Koopalings with his cane. "What are the lot of you trying to pull?"

Toadsworth hopped out of the back of the van. He walked up to Cranky Kong, pointing at the Koopalings with his staff. "They, my good man, are Koopas. They come from a mountainous region of fire and grasslands. I doubt that they have any relations to your Kremlings," he tapped the ground a couple times, "seeing how this region is more jungle and water."

Cranky Kong gave a wary look at the Koopalings. "Very well. Kremling, Koopa, or whatever, I suppose that they are part of your team." He stroked his beard. "Anyways, you accommodations are this way. You can stay there during your visit."

Waluigi hopped into his van. "Okay. Waluigi will just park this somewhere in the jungle. He doesn't want anybody to find it."

Alboort nodded. "Sounds good, but don't take too long. You have..."

Waluigi waved the rest of the statement away. "Waluigi knows. He has to do reconnaissance tonight."

Alboort adjusted his glasses. "Actually, you need to do your reconnaissance today."

Waluigi sighed crisply. "Fine." He stepped on the gas and sped down an open path in the jungle.

---

Later that day, Waluigi stepped out of a bamboo shack. He pulled out his Thieftech and flipped it open. "Okay, Alboort, why is Waluigi going out in the middle of the day? Won't he be seen?"

Alboort tapped a couple of keys. "Simple, there's not enough light around here at night. I could install a flash into your Thieftech, but it would kind of stand out in such a low-tech area as this." He waved one of his hands furiously. "Seriously, I'm working with electricity from a bamboo hydroelectricity mill here."

Waluigi looked down over the side of the porch to the jungle floor. "Well, that's all fine and dandy, but Waluigi isn't all that interested in hiking out in the open." He paused and bit his cheek. "And by that, Waluigi means walking around in an environment he's not used to with enemies that walk around this place."

Alboort adjusted his glasses. "Ah, right. I was meaning to talk to you about that." He quickly tapped a couple keys and surveyed his computer screen. "You see, like with Wario, we want King K. Rool to know you're there."

Waluigi's eyes nearly popped out of his head. "What!" He pointed at his Thieftech's screen. "Waluigi admits that he had a few buddy-buddy moments with that chunk of alligator lard during baseball tournaments, but King K. Rool isn't exactly one to remember who his friends are."

Alboort nodded. "I was pretty sure of that, so let me explain. I didn't mean you as in you. Check your pack."

Waluigi pulled off his pack and fished around in it. He soon pulled out a purple Kritter costume. He raised an eyebrow. "What the heck is this?"

"It's a Kritter." Alboort clicked a couple times on his mouse. "I think you'll remember them from several baseball and soccer tournaments."

Waluigi flipped the costume around in his hands a couple times. "Well, yeah, but what is Waluigi supposed to do with it."

Alboort sighed. "Well, put it on, and I'll tell you."

Waluigi grumbled as he put the costume on. In his reptilian form, he growled as he stretched his legs. "Why are these guys' legs get so short? It makes Waluigi uncomfortable."

"Well, I admit that you can't kick as well as normal." Alboort tapped a couple of keys. "But it's more your height and should allow freer movement than your other two costumes."

Kritter Waluigi looked around. "Well, Waluigi supposes that's true."

Alboort frowned. "Now, before I tell you your mission, I need to make one thing clear. You need to talk in the first person! I know you can do it."

Kritter Waluigi jumped. "Well, sure. But does Waluigi have to?"

Alboort nodded. "It's essential. You need to play the part of a common worker. You can't go in there sounding all self-righteous. Besides, King K. Rool, on the off chance, might recognize your name."

Kritter Waluigi tapped the end of his snout for a moment. "Well, Wal- I mean, I guess I could."

Alboort nodded. "Good job. Now, we need you to get a quick job as the royal photographer. Just head over to King K. Rool's castle, and it should be easy to figure out from there on."

"All right. I-I'm going to see the king." Kritter Waluigi flipped his Thieftech shut and stuck it in his shorts pocket. He walked over to the ladder and slid down it.

After several minutes of walking, Kritter Waluigi found himself in front of a pair of massive gold doors with a Kritter head on each one. He grinned and walked up to the doors.

A Blue Kritter was slumped against the doors. He looked up and saw Kritter Waluigi. He stood up slowly and pointed at the fake Purple Kritter. "Yo! You! What do you want with the king?"

Kritter Waluigi jumped and stared at the Blue Kritter. He pulled out his Thieftech and held it out. "Hey, I just came from the sports arenas from the main land. I wanted to talk to the king about getting some pictures for an article."

The Blue Kritter held his chin. "A photographer, huh?" He scratched his chin a bit. "Tell ya what. You go snap a couple o' pics of me pals 'round these parts, and I'll tell ya what I think o' that."

Kritter Waluigi grinned. "Easy enough." He held his Thieftech up and waved it around. "Who are these pals of yours?"

The Blue Kritter crossed his arms and grinned. "Easy. They usually hang around the castle. One's a Red Kritter, and the other two are Brown and Green. Ya shouldn't have any problems finding them."

Kritter Waluigi turned around. "Very well. Keep the doors unlocked."

The Blue Kritter snickered. "We'll see about that."

Well, it didn't take much walking before Kritter Waluigi saw a Red Kritter. He ran ahead and grabbed the Kritter's shoulder.

"Hey!" The Red Kritter turned around and snarled. "Whatsamatta wit' youse? Youse some kind of crazy or somethin'?"

Kritter Waluigi backed up a bit. "Woah. Calm down a minute." He held up his Thieftech. "I just want to get a picture."

The Red Kritter snorted. "A picture, huh?" He pushed Kritter Waluigi back and flexed his arms. "Why didn't youse just say so? I'm always ready to get a picture taken."

Kritter Waluigi grinned. "Very well." He stepped back a couple times and held his Thieftech. He took a minute to focus and took the picture. "Hey. That's great. Did you just shed or something?"

The Red Kritter laughed. "Youse could tell, huh?" He turned his back and flexed some more. Yep, just three days ago. The new high gloss suits me, doesn't it?"

"Yeah. Sure thing." Kritter Waluigi flipped his Thieftech along his fingers. "Say, do you know where I can find a Green Kritter around here?"

The Red Kritter turned to Kritter Waluigi and grinned. "Oh, you must mean Joe." He pointed into the jungle. "Yeah. Joe should be out there a bit."

Kritter Waluigi nodded and walked into the jungle. Not long after, he nearly bumped noses with a Green Kritter.

The Green Kritter fell back a bit. "Hey, watch where you're going, wise guy!" He pointed to the path. "I'm walking here!"

Kritter Waluigi pointed at the Green Kritter. "Say, are you Joe?"

The Green Kritter frowned. "Of course I'm Joe. Sure, there's lots of us Green Kritters, but everyone knows I'm Joe."

Kritter Waluigi held up his Thieftech. "Yeah. I was asked to take your picture."

Joe paused for a minute, tapping his cheek. "A picture?" He grinned and held his chin between his forefinger and thumb. "Just be sure you get my good side. I'm a real debonair kind of guy."

Kritter Waluigi held up his picture and zoomed in on Joe's face. He snapped the picture. "Say, that's pretty good."

Joe laughed. "You better believe." He waved his claws at Kritter Waluigi. "Now, get out of my way. I've got guarding to do."

Kritter Waluigi frowned as he stepped to the side.

Joe walked past, grinning. "I'll be seeing you around, Mr. Snappy."

After the Green Kritter and passed, Kritter Waluigi grumbled under his breath. Suddenly, his Thieftech vibrated, and he flipped it open. "What?"

Alboort tapped a couple of keys. "What's going on? I thought I told you to go after King K. Rool. So far, you've only taken pictures of a couple of Kritters."

"I'm working on it." Kritter Waluigi looked around. "Look, the Kritter guarding the front doors of the palace told me to go get some pictures of Kritters."

Alboort shrugged and nodded. "That probably was a good idea. Kritters aren't only some of the strongest creatures around, they're tough. Too tough for most of us to take in direct combat. Even Roy would have problems if too many of them got together." He examined his monitor for a second. "We're going to need to find some way to get most of them out of the picture, if we want to take on the big king himself."

"Yeah, okay, look, I'll get your picture of the king." Kritter Waluigi looked around the jungle floor. "I just need to go see about one more Kritter, and I'm in."

"Okay. I'll call you back shortly after I get the picture of King K. Rool." Alboort disappeared from the screen.

Kritter Waluigi flipped the Thieftech shut, looked around, and walked down the path. Shortly, he came across a sleeping Brown Kritter. He slyly looked around before kicking the Kritter a couple times.

The Brown Kritter jumped into the air and landed on his feet. "Who? Wha? I wasn't sleeping!"

Kritter Waluigi jumped back. "Hey. Calm down!" He held up his Thieftech. "Just calm down. All I want is your picture."

The Brown Kritter stared blankly at the fake Purple Kritter. "Oh. A picture." He scratched his head. "I'm not really sure. I don't really like getting my picture taken."

Waluigi held his arms out. "Come on. Everyone likes having their picture taken."

The Brown Kritter grinned weakly. "Well, I suppose you're right." He stood up straight and smiled. "Okay. Let's get this over with."

Waluigi held up his Thieftech and zoomed in and out. After a moment, he found his focus and snapped the picture. After taking the photo, he looked at it. "Oh man. Your eyes are closed."

The Brown Kritter shrugged. "Listen, I need to go." He looked around shiftily. "I'm sorry I can't stick around and take another picture, but I'm probably already late as it is."

Kritter Waluigi frowned after the retreating Brown Kritter. He looked back at the picture and flipped his Thieftech shut. "Ah well." He turned and walked down the path.

Soon, Kritter Waluigi was standing in front of the gold doors.

The Blue Kritter held out his hand. "Well, let's see these pictures."

Hesitantly, Kritter Waluigi handed his Thieftech over to the Blue Kritter.

The Blue Kritter searched through the pictures on the cell phone-like device. "Hmm. Max always gets showy after he sheds his skin, and Joe is taking as much pride in his teeth as ever." He paused when he saw the next picture. "Well, I have to say that that is the best picture I have ever seen of Sid." He shut the Thieftech and tossed it back to Kritter Waluigi. "Too bad Sid has never taken a half-decent picture before." He elbowed the door behind himself open. "Go on in. I'm sure the king would like to here this proposition for an article."

Kritter Waluigi walked past the doors and into the golden palace. He walked down the halls until he arrived in the throne room. "Hello?"

King K. Rool jumped up in his throne. "Who has come to disturb me? I asked for no one!"

Kritter Waluigi walked up, flipping his Thieftech between his fingers. "I've come from the mainland, King K. Rool. You see, I've noticed that we, the Kremlings, haven't exactly gotten our fair share of action."

King K. Rool pounded the arm of his throne. "Don't remind me! Everything has been about that annoying Donkey KONG!" He stopped and laughed, leaning back in his throne. "But that's going to change soon."

"You bet it will." Kritter Waluigi held up his Thieftech. "I wanted to do an article about our little culture, maybe get your own team. Hmm?"

King K. Rool paused, staring at the Thieftech. "Well, rest assured that I am planning to rid of that Donkey Kong and for all. Now that he is weak, the timing is perfect." He paused, drumming on the arm of his throne. After a minute, he laughed and stood up. "But I suppose that there's always something to gain from some good press." He flexed one arm, raising a jeweled scepter with the other. "Be sure to get a good picture. I want the public to see how great I am." He raised his head up high.

Kritter Waluigi held up his Thieftech and took a picture off the Kremling King.

King K. Rool laughed after the picture was taken. He sat down. "That's nice." He waved his scepter around. "And be sure to write about how nice I am, or you'll be severely punished."

Kritter Waluigi grimaced as he looked at King K. Rool's massive arm. "I'll be sure to keep that in mind." He held up his Thieftech. "Say, you mind telling if there's anything else worth taking a picture of?"

King K. Rool rubbed his chin. "Well, there is my temple." His bloodshot eye twitched. "Then there's my royal dam."

Kritter Waluigi raised a finger. "What about players? You need a full team to enter most tournaments."

"Players, right." King K. Rool leaned back in his chair. "Well, the Kritters make for good players, but that might seem monotonous. And I gave Klump the weekend off." His eye started bulging larger. "Oh! Kludge! He'd make for a wonderful player." He laughed. "And Kalypso. Yes, she's definitely the crowd pleaser." He tapped the side of his jaws. "Kip and Kass would make for good players, but I have trouble believing you could find them."

Kritter Waluigi raised an eyebrow. "So, the temple, the dam, Kludge, and Kalypso. That's all I need?"

King K. Rool nodded. "That should be enough." He waved Kritter Waluigi. "Now get out! I need to be alone for now!"

Kritter Waluigi walked out of the palace and a little ways out of it. He pulled out his vibrating Thieftech. "So, what do you have about this Rool guy?"

Alboort tapped a couple of keys. "Well, he's the leader of the Kremlings, and he's all ego. He's been Donkey Kong's archenemy for the longest time, though he seems to have gotten along with Cranky Kong back in the day. As for statistics, don't be fooled by his large stomach. It's actually all muscle. He's been determined as one of the physically strongest, if not the strongest, in Kong Country."

"Please tell Waluigi that you plan on using brains over brawn with him."Kritter Waluigi grimaced. Waluigi is number one, but he doesn't like the idea of fighting someone who could swipe his head off."

"Don't worry, I'll come up with something." Alboort tapped a couple of keys. "But let's see about these four other targets. I've already projected destination markers over your targets."

Kritter Waluigi raised an eyebrow. "How the heck do you always have these targets marked? We haven't even seen most of these things."

Alboort shrugged. "Satellites."

Kritter Waluigi raised his other eyebrow. "Right. All technology questions can be answered with satellites." He stared blankly into the jungle. "Hey, does Waluigi have to stay in costume?"

"Of course not." Alboort clicked his mouse a few times. "You can move around a lot better out of it, like climbing vines and landing on branches with the C button."

Kritter Waluigi pulled off his costume. "Okay, Waluigi's going off to see about these other photos." He flipped his Thieftech shut and pocketed it. He jumped onto a nearby vine and climbed up.

When Waluigi reached the top of the vine, he jumped onto a nearby branch. He pulled out his Thieftech and attached it over his eye and ear. He looked around. "Well, there certainly a lot of temples around here." He paused. "But that looks like our target." He jumped onto a longer branch and went on to jump from tree to tree.

Waluigi soon found himself sitting in a tree in front of a gold and marble temple with King K. Rool's golden head sitting above the doors. He zoomed in on the head and doors and snapped a picture.

Alboort appeared on the screen. "Well, this certainly is an impressive temple. Both beautiful and valuable. I can only imagine how much it's worth to the king. It looks like the bottom of the structure is weak, though, with thin walls and mostly columns."

Waluigi raised an eyebrow. "You planning on bringing that thing down?"

Alboort nodded. "Certain to be seen as a bad omen by King K. Rool."

Waluigi held his chin. "Well, Waluigi's not sure about bad omens, but it certainly would make him upset."

Alboort tapped several keys. "Let's see about this dam. I find it curious that King K. Rool should think it significant."

Waluigi nodded and jumped through several more trees. He got close to the mountains, he zoomed in on a gold, vine-coated dam, again with King K. Rool's head on it. He zoomed in and snapped a photo.

Alboort reappeared in the screen. "Well, this is a curious dam. It looks pretty old. I wonder why such a natural environment would need a dam. What's behind it?"

Waluigi shrugged. "Well, Waluigi wants to know about these other two Kremlings. If King K. Rool's the strongest, Waluigi's a little worried what he thinks qualifies as a good player."

Alboort pushed up his glasses. "Good point. However, you'll probably need to go back down on the ground to get a good picture."

"Don't worry. Waluigi knows how to keep his distance." Waluigi pressed the button to turn Alboort off and looked around. After seeing a destination marker, he jumped through a couple of trees, grabbed onto a vien, and climbed down to the ground. He looked down from the marker to see a massive blue Kremling with red eyes stumbling his way down the path. He ran down the path, turned around, snapped a photo, climbed back up into a tree, and watched the massive Kremling walk by.

Alboort appeared in the screen shortly after Waluigi landed on a branch. He tapped several keys. "Well, this big fellow seems to be Kludge. He's pretty big, and all that muscle is loyal to King K. Rool."

Waluigi's eyes widened. "Okay. Waluigi could put up with one heavyweight. But two!?"

Alboort swallowed. "I completely agree with you. I figure out some way to get him out of the way before we attack King K. Rool."

"And do it quickly." Waluigi looked around. "Waluigi guesses that leaves one last target to go. Kalypso? Sounds like a strange name." He jumped over a couple of trees. "Of course, everyone around here has weird names."

After several minutes, Waluigi found himself standing over a clearing with a lake. He jumped down and looked around. "Let's see. Where's that marker?" He looked around until he saw someone across the lake. He zoomed in all the way and snapped a photo.

Alboort showed up on the Thieftech screen, staring at his computer screen. "Well, she looks... different."

Waluigi held his chin and smiled. "Waluigi thinks you mean hot." He paused and blushed slightly. "That is, in a scary, reptilian sort of way."

"Don't worry, Waluigi. Kalypso's seen as attractive by many." Alboort clicked his mouse. "Of course, those people would say she makes a better picture than a person. Certainly, she looks nice, and despite some diva-esque habits, her personality is pretty good, too. People just can't stand her high-pitched voice and laughter."

Waluigi raised an eyebrow. "Waluigi can tell that she's pretty. Does she pose any danger?"

Alboort scanned his computer screen. "Well, like all other Kritters, she has a loyalty to King K. Rool. As far as attacks go, you, Ashley, or one of the Koopalings could probably take care of her with little difficulty. However, her agility might make up for her lack of physical strength. And with the Kremling Krew, she's one frightening fighter."

"So, do you want Waluigi to just sneak attack her now?"

"No." Alboort tapped a couple of keys. "She's one of the smarter Kremlings, and I wouldn't be too surprised if she just danced away from your attack and swipe you across the nose." He paused and adjusted his glasses. "Dance? Dance." He waved his finger in thought. "That might be worth something."

Waluigi raised an eyebrow. "Okay. Waluigi is just going to come back to the hideout and pretend that you're not going crazy." He flipped his Thieftech shut and ran over to the nearest tree.

_Mission complete,_

_signed,_

_-Waluigi_

---

Okay, I realize that characters like Kalypso and Kludge only showed up in Donkey Kong: Barrel Blast, but I think that they could use a bit more attention. Besides, I needed a couple of people to choose from in order to do my mini-boss quota.

I hope this chapter turns out all right. I'm a little worried how much inspiration will come to me for it.

There will be one more mission where Waluigi refers to himself in the third person, though.

Anyways, enjoy and review.


	30. Chapter 4 part 2

Chapter 4.2: Grab the Gold

Alboort grumbled as he set up his projector. "I swear. If I had feet, I would be kicking the brains out of this idiotic low-tech junk."

Waluigi drummed his fingers on the heavy table. "Well, is it going to work or not?"

Alboort pushed is glasses up as he fiddled with a last couple of wires. "Well, I'm not making any promises, but we should have a few minutes of power." He pulled out his button and clicked it to bring up the photo of King K. Rool. "As you can guess, this one's going to be pretty tough."

Roy chuckled. "I don't see what the big deal is, I could take that guy on without any difficulty."

"Well, I'm glad you're feeling confident, Roy." Alboort furrowed his brow. "But even though King K. Rool has less common sense than Bowser, he's also stronger and has stronger soldiers."

Wendy leaned back in her chair. "I suppose you have a point. I wonder why King Dad never got stronger soldiers than those boring Koopas."

Iggy Koopa shrugged. "Well, it's not like he'd listen to us whenever we made suggestions about improving his warfare."

Alboort cleared his throat. "Well, that certainly may be true, but that's not necessarily the point I'm trying to make." He floated to the front of the room and smacked the screen a couple times. "Cranky Kong merely asked us to make sure King K. Rool wouldn't try anything. Thanks to Waluigi's reconnaissance work, we know that King K. Rool has some sort of scheme hatching." He took a marker and made a big X across the picture. "I would prefer that we didn't have to fight this one out."

Ashley spun one of her bangs with her finger. "That would be a good idea." She laced her fingers together. "I didn't mind having to throw stones at that King Koopa guy, but if this plan involves fighting inside anymore crumbling buildings, I will use you as an ingredient."

Alboort swallowed. "Well, I don't plan on going inside anymore collapsing buildings." He floated over to his projector and clicked the button, bringing up a picture of K. Rool's temple. "However, crumbling some buildings is what I had in mind. It could scare the Kremling King out of any plot." He pointed at Waluigi. "First, we'll need you to visit several of the local temples, and I don't mean King K. Rool's temple, in order to steal some precious jewels. I've hired several Kongs who will be willing to destroy these temples in exchange for these jewels."

Waluigi nodded. "Well, Waluigi's a little unsure about talking to too many of these monkeys." He held his chin. "But Waluigi doesn't mind getting someone else to do our dirty work."

"Yes. I figured it'd be a good way to keep our tracks covered." Alboort pointed at the temple in the picture. "Then I'll go in and see about taking out the main temple. Like I said before, with all these collapsing temples, King K. Rool is very likely to suspect some sort of bad mojo." He clicked his button to bring up a picture of a golden dam. "But to be sure, Ashley, you should probably get rid of this dam. I want to know just why King K. Rool would want a dam."

Ashley stared at the picture. "Well, it certainly looks old enough to be taken out without too much effort."

Alboort nodded. "I do worry whether it has any magicproof coating, though. Kong Country known for it's great variety of magic."

Ashley furrowed her brow. "Not more of this idiotic anti-magic stuff."

Ludwig raised his hand. "Are ve Koopalings going to be needed for any of this?"

Alboort pushed up his glasses. "Well, not right now."

Ludwig stood up. "Then I am going to go take a nap."

Roy stood up. "Yeah, me too. That ferry ride was rougher than my personality."

Wendy nodded and yawned. "And I need my beauty sleep."

Iggy sighed and adjusted his glasses. He stood up and turned to Alboort. "I'll go see about adding a bit more kick to those bombs of yours."

Alboort nodded. "Thanks." He turned to Waluigi. "You should probably see about getting those jewels about now. I have no idea how much time our alternate clients have to wait."

Waluigi stood up. "Yeah, yeah. Waluigi's going."

---

Waluigi walked out of the bamboo door and pulled out his Thieftech. "Okay, Alboort, where can Waluigi find these other temples?"

Alboort tapped several keys. "That's simple enough. All you have to do is just look for destination markers." He adjusted his glasses. "By the way, I suggest you stick to the trees. Being a Kritter wouldn't do you much good in this job. Nobody but King K. Rool is allowed in the temples unless King K. Rool is with them."

"Okay." Waluigi attached his Thieftech over his ear. He ran over and jumped onto the nearest branch. "Waluigi wanted to spend more time on the branches. He misses the power lines from Diamond City."

"Okay. Make your way to the first temple."

"Gotcha." Waluigi turned Alboort off and looked around. He jumped through several trees towards a destination marker. He was practically like one of the local Kongs. Soon, though, he had to skid to a halt while on a thin branch. He pressed the button to contact Alboort. "Alboort, there's a problem."

Alboort tapped a couple keys. "Let me guess, you reached the temple, but there's no obvious way to get in."

Waluigi nodded, staring blankly at the temple. "Yeah. What's going on here?"

Alboort adjusted his glasses. "You didn't think you could just walk in did you?"

Waluigi frowned. "Of course not! Waluigi's not deaf! He heard you say that he couldn't walk through the front door."

"Right." Alboort clicked on his mouse. "Well, King K. Rool realizes that Kongs can climb trees, so he constructed all the lighting windows higher than most of the trees."

Waluigi looked up. "How the heck is Waluigi supposed to get up there. The temple looks too smooth to have any climbable ledges, and the only vines Waluigi can see are growing to high up."

"Yes, King K. Rool wasn't is pretty smart, when he feels like it. He's probably the most technologically advanced citizen of Kong Country." Alboort tapped a few keys. "You're triple jump should get you up that high, but your gliding swim still takes off height from your jump."

"Yeah. Waluigi's not too stupid, either." Waluigi looked the temple up and down. "But he can't figure out a way to get up there."

Alboort adjusted his glasses. "Well, there should be a new gadget in your pack that should help you get up there."

Waluigi smirked. "What? You mean like trampoline shoes?"

Alboort frowned. "Just check your pack."

"Fine. Waluigi was just joking." Waluigi pulled his pack off and fished around in it. His eyes suddenly widened. "No way!" He pulled out a thin, black, thorned vine. "My whip!"

Alboort nodded. "I snagged it from the Mario Sports Center." He tapped a couple of keys. "On the ground, it is probably one of your most powerful attacks, maybe even though enough to take out Kritters with a couple of hits, but in the air..."

"Waluigi can use it to grab onto high up vines to extend the vine and climb up."

Alboort smiled. "You can also use it to swing from certain high up branches, making your jungle travel even faster."

"Okay. Waluigi will talk to you later." Waluigi turned off Alboort and looked up. He jumped up three times, swung his whip around his head, and snatched the vine with his whip. He climbed up to the vine to the top of the temple. He jumped down, and about halfway down, he swam over to a nearby ledge. He dropped down a little more, catching another ledge. He dropped from there to the ground. He walked over to the middle of the room and picked up the jewel from the pedestal.

Alboort reappeared in the screen. "Good going. You got the ruby banana."

"Ruby banana?" Waluigi looked the item over. "Well, it looks valuable." He stuck it in his pack and looked up and around. "Well, it looks like there are plenty of ledges in here to climb up."

Alboort nodded. "Remember to use your aerial thorn whip attack to grab onto the vines at the top."

"Yeah. Waluigi's got you." Waluigi turned off Alboort and looked up. He ran over and clung onto a ledge. He jumped up and climbed several more ledges until he approached the top. He jumped over, snagged a vine and climbed out of the temple. He looked around until he saw another destination marker. He jumped to the nearest tree and started jumping amongst the trees. He swung from a branch with his whip once on the way, breezing past three trees.

At the next temple, Waluigi jumped up and latched onto one of the high vans. He climbed up and dropped down into the temple like the previous one. He picked up a fair-sized jewel from the pedestal in the pillar of light.

"Good going, Waluigi. That performance was perfect. And now you have the sapphire star fruit."

"Sapphire star fruit?" Waluigi stuck the blue crystal in his pack. "Good grief! Everything is named weirdly around here." He jumped up and clung onto a ledge. "Seriously, our client, Cranky Kong. What kind of name is Cranky? That's not a name! That's an adjective."

Alboort sighed. "Just take care of the jewels, Waluigi. We aren't getting paid to make fun of peoples' names."

Waluigi jumped up to the top of the temple and climbed out. "Of course not. That would make this job too much fun."

Alboort smiled. "I suppose it would. Now, get going. You have one more crystal to take care of before the next part of the job."

Waluigi nodded. He jumped over to the trees and swung a couple times. He pulled his vine from the branch and jumped through the trees until he approached the third temple. It took him a couple minutes to find a vine on the temple, but he quickly made his way up to the vine and up the side of the temple. He swam down to the bottom of the temple and landed squarely just in front of the pedestal. He reached out and grabbed the green jewel.

Alboort appeared on the screen and adjusted his glasses. "That would be the emerald durian."

Waluigi stared at the jewel. "Wow. Waluigi is glad he's used to dealing with thorns, or this thing would hurt a lot." He put it in his pack and jumped up onto the ledge. He quickly climbed up to the top. "So, is that all the crystals?"

"Not exactly." Alboort tapped a few keys. "You see, the other three crystals are used to open the fourth temple. I've uploaded the destination marker to your Thieftech."

Waluigi looked around it. "Yeah, Waluigi sees it." He took a hold of his chin. "It looks a lot smaller than the others, and a lot higher."

"Yeah. You're going to need to use your thorn whip quite a bit to get up there."

"Okay. Waluigi will call you when he's got the last jewel." He turned Alboort off and jumped into the jungle. He jumped from tree to tree until he approached a cliff. He jumped up and swung his whip into a vine on the cliff. He climbed up and jumped towards another vine. He climbed up a couple more vines until he pulled himself over the cliff and walked up to the door. He looked at the notches in the door. He pulled out his three previous crystals and stuck them into matching slots.

The heavy gold door twisted into the temple. A pinprick of light spotlighted a massive crystal in the middle of the temple.

Waluigi walked up and grabbed hold of the gem. "Wow! This thing is huge!"

Alboort reappeared on the Thieftech screen. "All right. That's the diamond pineapple." He tapped a couple keys. "Now, you still have to deliver the crystals to our hired hands."

Waluigi tossed the diamond pineapple between his hands. "Waluigi doesn't know. It's going to be hard to let these go." He paused, staring at the crystal. "Of course, Waluigi expected something a little more dangerous."

Alboort adjusted his glasses. "Well, you still need to come down the cliff safely again."

"Well, that's true." Waluigi walked out of the temple.

"And don't forget the rest of the crystals!"

"Oh right." Waluigi turned around and plucked the crystals out of the door. He turned to the cliff and jumped off the side, catching a vine on the way down. He turned and looked for the next destination marker. He climbed down a couple of vines and landed on a narrow ledge.

Waluigi ran over to the waterfall and looked up. Seeing the branches, he held his chin. He pulled out his thorn whip and slashed it at the branch, catching hold. He swung for four branches and landed on the other ledge.

Four massive Kongs stood on the wide ledge. One was gray, another had purple magic-looking marks, the third had dreadlocks, and the last had a long beard.

The Kong with the long beard stepped forward. "You are Waluigi, yes?"

"You got it, buster." Waluigi pulled out the four crystals and held them out. "Are you the guys who wanted these things."

The bearded Kong nodded curtly and took the jewels from the thief. He looked them over. "These are very nice, indeed." He turned and started passing the jewels out to the others. "We will do as the one with glasses asked and destroy the temples."

Waluigi smirked. "Say, how are you guys going to-"

The four Kongs jumped from the ledge and sped through the jungle.

Waluigi paused, gaping at the speed. He jumped when he heard a series of crashes. He called Alboort. "Say, Alboort, Waluigi doesn't need to talk to these Kongs anymore, does he?"

Alboort nodded his head. "Nope. No more Kongs for you." He stared at Waluigi, furrowing his brow. "But if you don't start consistently talking in the first person, I'm going to strap earphones on your head at night that will brainwash you into doing it."

Waluigi held his hands up defensively. "Okay. Whatever. I'm coming back to the hideout now." He pulled his Thieftech off, flipped it closed, ran over to the side of the edge, and jumped off.

_Mission complete,_

_signed,_

_Waluigi_

---

Okay, I'm going to be a bit frank about this. These missions are going to be more direct, so they won't necessarily be very long. I hope that doesn't upset anyone.

Also, I think I'm going to reserve Waluigi's 'trademark' roses for missions that involve girls. It just feels weird when he does it with anyone else.

Please enjoy and review.


	31. Chapter 4 part 3

Chapter 4.3: Temple Tremble

Alboort floated out of the bamboo hideout's front door. He pulled out his vibrating Thieftech.

Waluigi showed up on the screen. "Hey, Alboort, Waluigi was just wondering if you'd really be safe walking around this jungle?"

Alboort swallowed. "Why did you have to say that?"

Waluigi shrugged. "Well, it's not like you can float around the tree tops, and there are sure to be plenty of guards around that temple."

Alboort pushed his glasses up. "Well, judging from my scanners, most of the guards should be checking out the suddenly collapsing temples." He tugged on his bowtie. "Now quit freaking me out. I'll call you after I destroy the temple, but I don't to be distracted until then."

Waluigi nodded. "Waluigi gets you. The less attention you get, the less chance you'll have to run away."

"Thank you."

"Just stay out of sight." Waluigi disappeared from the screen.

Alboort sighed and placed his Thieftech over his eye. "Now, let's see where this temple is." He looked around until he saw a white destination marker. "Okay, here I go."

Alboort slid down the ladder and looked around again. He slowly floated across the jungle floor. He disappeared once to avoid the sight of a Kritter, but he had little interference besides that.

As Alboort approached the massive temple, he just floated around it a moment. "Let's see. I just need to bomb the ten exterior pillars, and this should start toppling nicely." He pulled out a bomb. "So I better get started."

Alboort floated over to the nearest column and stuck a bomb to it. He floated away and let the bomb explode.

After the explosion, Alboort turned around. "Hmm. I seems that, even though Iggy gave my bombs an extra boost, I'll need to use more than one bomb on each pillar."

Reptilian grunting and snarling was heard in the distance.

Alboort jumped. "But I should probably move between pillars, so I don't get caught up in some insane fight." He floated to the other side of the temple.

After exploding a couple of bombs on pillars on the other side of the temple, the Boo flew in a circle around the temple as he heard guards behind him. He set off a couple more bombs on his first pillar, and it crumbled.

Alboort adjusted his glasses. "Well, it looks like I'll need to use three bombs on each of these pillars to take them out."

A snarl was heard around the corner.

Alboort jumped. "But I'll need to take care of them all with time." He floated around the temple.

This process kept up for about five more pillars, when Alboort stopped.

A massive stone fell just in front of the Boo.

Alboort swallowed. "Looks like I'll need to avoid falling rocks along with guards." He swallowed again and floated on.

Alboort swerved through the falling rocks and planted a couple more bombs on one of the remaining pillars. He floated away as it blew out of its base. "Just three more to go." He floated on.

The three pillars didn't take long to crumble beneath the explosions, and the temple itself swayed.

Alboort nodded. "Now to get inside." He floated around the long way until he arrived as the front doors. He placed a bomb in the gold King K. Rool's mouth and blew it up.

The doors blasted into the temple, practically flying off of their hinges.

Alboort turned and floated in. "Okay, now it's just the six pillars in here, and I'm home free." He looked up and floated out of the way of a falling stone. He cringed. "I better hurry before I get crushed."

Suddenly, a pair of Kritters turned their heads around the door.

One of them pointed at Alboort. "Hey! What are you doing in here?"

Alboort jumped. "And I better hurry." He floated over and placed a bomb on one of the pillars, blowing it up as he floated away.

The column crumbled instantaneously.

Alboort adjusted his glasses. "Well, it seems that these pillars are much more unstable than the ones outside."

A Kritter ran forward and slashed down at Alboort.

Alboort dodged by a hairsbreadth. "Yikes! I better get going!" He floated towards the nearest pillar and blew it up.

Alboort dodged both claws and rocks as he floated around the inside of the temple. It took him a while to get to each pillar, but he got them destroyed.

As the last pillar crumbled, though, the whole temple started weaving back and forth like crazy.

The two Kritters looked up. They looked at each other. "Uh-oh."

Alboort jumped. "Uh-oh is right. I maybe have ten seconds to get out of here before this whole thing comes crumbling down." He floated quickly to the front doors of the temple, dodging falling boulders the whole way.

As Alboort floated out of the front of the temple, he was thrown forward by the air that was expelled by the imploding temple.

As the dust settled, Alboort coughed a few times and sneezed. He pulled his glasses off and rubbed them clean. He replaced them and looked up at the temple. "Well, that could have been more subtle." He pulled out his Thieftech and flipped it open. "Hey, Waluigi, can I get a pick-up?"

Waluigi appeared on the screen. He took hold of his chin. "Did you get that temple collapsed?"

Alboort nodded, panting. "Yeah. Trust me. The only thing that could possibly scare King K. Rool out of taking any action against the Kongs is whatever might be behind that dam."

Waluigi nodded. "Okay, Wal-"

"Uh-uh! First person!"

Waluigi scowled. "Fine. I'll come over with the van's detachable cab in a few minutes."

Alboort leaned back against a tree. "I'll be waiting right here."

_Mission complete,_

_signed_

_-Alboort_

---

I apologize. This is another one of those levels that it will definitely take longer to play than to read. It's just that Alboort knows what he's doing, so no a whole lot of dialogue is going to occur in his chapters, shortening them quite a bit.

I hope you guys can accept my shortcomings.

Anyways, enjoy and review.


	32. Chapter 4 part 4

Chapter 4.4: Curse the Dammed

Ashley walked out of the front door of the bamboo hideout. She flipped her Thieftech out and opened it. "Okay, why am I out in the heat of the day, again?"

Alboort tapped a couple of keys. "Well, you need to take out the dam while everyone's awake. Otherwise, we might end up drowning everyone in their sleep."

Ashley raised an eyebrow. "Seeing how we're dealing with the villainous type, is that really a bad idea?"

Alboort frowned. "We can't just kill off a whole civilization just because their king is a corrupt idiot."

Ashley twirled her scepter in her hand blandly. "It was just a thought."

Alboort clicked on his mouse. "Well, you need to be 'thinking' about getting near that dam."

Ashley shrugged. "Fine. Just set up the coordinates."

Alboort tapped a couple of keys. "Just follow the destination marker. It should lead you to a pillar of rocks a little ways away from the dam."

"Okay." Ashley flipped he Thieftech over her eye and looked around. She jumped up and turned her scepter into a broom. She glided her way through the jungle. She landed in the ground, looked up, and ran in the direction of her destination marker.

It didn't take long for Ashley to approach the base of a stone pillar. "Well. That is one heck of a climb." She held up her scepter. "Good thing I can use my magic to make the local fungi large enough to bounce me up there by use of the C button."

Alboort nodded. "I'll give you further instruction when you get up there."

Ashley turned Alboort off and looked around on the ground. When she found a mushroom, she raised her scepter up high. "Floris Giganticus!"

The mushroom engorged to the size of a medium-sized trampoline.

Ashley jumped up and bounced off the giant mushroom. She rose for quite a distance, and when she began falling, she looked down the pillar. "Floris Giganticus!"

A mushroom on the side of the stone pillar grew to the same size as the first.

Ashley aimed herself at the mushroom and bounced off it. She did this two more times before landing gently on the top. She looked over at the dam and zoomed in.

Alboort appeared on the Thieftech screen. "Okay. My scanners are a little fuzzy in this area, but I believe you're in position to take down the dam."

Ashley crossed her arms. "Why am I over here? I could destroy the dam a whole lot more easily if I walked over there and blasted it."

Alboort pushed his glasses up. "Look, if I knew what was behind that dam, I might go for it." He tapped several keys. "Just be glad that the dam isn't magic-proof." He smacked one side of his computer. "At least, that's as much as I can tell from my scanner's readings."

Ashley offered a small smile. "Well, at least I can deal as much damage from here as I could up close." She waved her scepter around. "So shall I get started?"

Alboort nodded. "I'd really like to see what's behind that dam. It must be their for a reason."

Ashley spun her scepter in her hands. "In that case, you better get off the line. I'll need to focus my magic to blow up something that big."

Alboort nodded. "I'll call if my scanners pick up anything." He disappeared from the screen.

Ashley gripped her scepter firmly. "Okay. This is a pretty wide dam. It won't be too hard to hit, but it'll take plenty of magic to blow it out of that gorge." Her scepter began to glow.

Magic blasts flew from the young witch and towards the dam. Gold chips flew off the dam in abundance as the blasts struck it.

Ashley started to pick up her rhythm. She sighed. "Once again, a big job that is more boring than anything."

Alboort suddenly popped up in Ashley's Thieftech. "Ashley! There are Kritters going up to repair the dam."

Ashley raised an eyebrow. "Repair the dam? It's made of gold. You can't just fix that."

Alboort tapped several keys. "Well, the dam actually has a stone interior. The gold bricks are just there to make it look pretty." He pushed his glasses up. "Besides, you'd be surprised how strong the wood around here can be."

Ashley paused. "So I should blast the Kritters before they fox the dam." She looked up at the dam. "Well, I've made significant progress on the dam, but too many of those guys would slow me down."

Red appeared in the scepter's crystal. "Don't forget that we can lock onto targets by holding the B button down before we attack."

Ashley nodded. "Very well." She raised her scepter up into the air. "Then let me continue my symphony of disaster."

Suddenly, Ludwig Von Koopa appeared on the other side of the Thieftech screen. "Hey. I vould like it if you did not steal mein lines."

Ashley sighed and tilted her head to one side. "Just let me work. This is annoying."

Alboort nodded. He flipped off, and Ludwig turned off soon after.

Ashley breathed in deeply. She raised her scepter up to eye level and aimed. She blasted the current Kritters and moved back to the dam. She kept attacking until plenty of stone was showing. She turned back to the sides of the dam and blasted the Kritters running up to it.

Soon, Ashley aimed directly at the middle of the tower. She let a magical blast run straight towards it.

After the blast hit, the dam seemed to crumble into itself. Water began squirting through until the whole dam gave way.

Alboort popped up on the Thieftech screen. "Great work, Ashley. That dam's dust." He adjusted his glasses and looked at his screen. "Hold on a minute."

As water began to flow over the broken dam, something large started to sprout up in front of it.

Alboort jumped in his chair. "I don't believe it! Another dam!"

Ashley stared blankly at the dam. "Should I destroy this one, too?"

Alboort shook his head. "Look at that massive ruby in the middle. It's obvious enchanted to absorb any magical attacks." He rubbed his chin. "I would suggest that you use barrels, but there doesn't seem to be a decent supply around, and it would be too difficult to throw them from your current position."

Ashley sighed. "So you want me to just come back to the hideout?"

Alboort sighed despairingly. "That's all we can do for now." He turned in his seat. "I'll see if I can talk Iggy into making something."

Ashley pulled her Thieftech off her ear. "Very well." She flipped her Thieftech shut and pocketed it. She jumped up, turned her scepter into a broomstick, and glided away from the stone pillar.

_Mission complete,_

_signed,_

_-Ashley and Red_

---

Another short chapter, but destroying stuff isn't that complicated to express.

The next chapter should definitely be longer.

Enjoy and review.


	33. Chapter 4 part 5

Chapter 4.5: Crushin' Kritters

Alboort patted around his projector for just a minute. "Okay. Okay. Calm down, everyone. I think I've got the power back on."

Waluigi leaned back in his chair and snickered. "Not like you didn't say that five minutes ago."

"Ha ha. Very funny." Alboort floated up to the projection screen. He pulled out the projector button and clicked it, bringing up a picture of King K. Rool. "Anyways, we went out to spook King K. Rool, and we did it."

Waluigi leaned on the table. "Doesn't that mean we're done here?"

Ashley nodded, petting Red on his head. "King K. Rool can't be thinking of doing anything after all those structures were destroyed."

Alboort sighed. "I wish that was true, but I'm afraid that's not the case." He smacked the screen. "Yes, King K. Rool has disappeared. Waluigi listened in on a couple of Kritters not too long ago, and it seems that the Kremling King has retreated to his own hideout." He pressed the button, bringing up the three Kritter pictures mashed together. "Instead of retreating, though, it seems King K. Rool is more bent on attacking the Kongs than ever. He's brought in all sorts of reinforcing Kritters."

Roy Koopa chuckled. "No problem at all. I can take out the whole lot of them without breaking a sweat."

"Well, you could take on a large group, yes." Alboort adjusted his glasses. "Unfortunately, these Kritters have both strength and numbers." Alboort took hold of his chin. "No, we'll need to be a bit more strategic than a head-on assault."

Ludwig nodded. "But I cannot be the vun to go. If I fought, the whole yungle would be, as I think it is called, going up in smoke."

Iggy adjusted his own glasses. "I'm not that great with field work."

Alboort held his projector button thoughtfully. "I realize this." He furrowed his brow. "I will need to put some thought into it." He pointed to Iggy. "As will you."

Alboort held his projector button straight up and clicked it, bringing up a picture of Kalypso. "Also, this woman may not look much like a warrior, but she could probably take on quite a few of us with her speed and reflexes." He grinned evilly as he looked at Waluigi. "But we have someone on our team who should be able to deal with Kalypso's style quite nicely."

Waluigi raised an eyebrow. "But Wal-" He breathed in deeply. "I mean, I thought you already said that my attacks wouldn't be very effective."

Alboort smirked. "I'll explain when you get out in the field." He clicked his projector button, and the screen changed to the massive Kludge. "This guy definitely needs to be taken out before we move in. Like the rest of the Kritters, he is hopelessly loyal to King K. Rool and likely to attack with the slightest command."

Ludwig smiled. "Now that is being a fight for Roy." He turned to his pink-headed brother. "This definitely looks like a direct battle."

Alboort cringed. "Not exactly." He turned to the screen. "True, Kludge definitely is a force to be reckoned with, that's why I wouldn't risk Waluigi or Ashley to right him." He wrung his wrists. "However, he happens to be one of the more ape-like Kremlings. This means that it is very likely that Kludge would climd up in the trees and attack Roy from up there."

Roy snarled. "Oh, there's no problem in that." He smashed his fist into his open hand. "I can simply knock the chicken out of the tree."

"Well, there is one more tiny little detail." Alboort turned his back to the group and gazed up at the picture. He pointed at the massive Kremling. "Though Kludge looks like a complete barbarian, he isn't really very violent. In face, he's been entrusted with the care of quite a few Kremling children, including the troublemakers, Kip and Kass." He adjusted his glasses. "But there is one thing that is sure to drive him into a frenzy for a battle." He clicked the button, and a picture of a Kong with a surfboard showed up on the screen. "Funky Kong has been a lifelong rival of Kludge. Kludge hates him with a passion."

Waluigi frowned slightly. "But Funky Kong isn't part of our gang. How do you expect him to help us?"

Alboort turned to Waluigi. "That is a good point. An even better point is that Funky Kong doesn't care for fighting, period." He rubbed his chin. "But there is a chance that we could convince him to help us. With the right words, that is." He looked at Toadsworth. "Fortunately, we have a master at diplomacy with us."

Toadsworth chuckled. "Well, I'll talk with the good boy. I just hope we may be able to understand each other."

Alboort smiled. "Good." He paused. "Oh, and if anyone happens to find any clues about King K. Rool's vault, please tell me. There are no computers to hack around here."

Waluigi smiled. "Let's get to work, then."

---

Wendy O'Koopa sauntered out of the front door of the bamboo hideout. She pulled out a bright pink Thieftech with a diamond fixed into the front and flipped it open. "Okay. What's going on here? One minute, I'm sitting inside, drinking my latte. The next, you guys have me running outside to do some chore."

Iggy Koopa showed up on the Thieftech's screen. "Well, my dear female sibling, it has come to our attention that a grand multitude of opponents of the crocodilian persuasion has-"

Wendy crossed her arms and pouted. "Just spit it out, all ready!"

Iggy jumped. He laughed nervously. "There are a lot of Kritters, and we need to get rid of a better part of them."

Wendy nodded. "Now that's more like it." She pointed at herself. "But why are you sending me out to do it? Isn't Roy the one who's more fit for this line of work."

Iggy sighed and palmed his face. "Didn't you pay attention during the briefing at all? Roy would draw too much attention to himself. We need to be more stealthy about knocking them off then that."

Wendy raised an eyebrow. "That why not get the purple guy to do it? He has a sneak attack. And the ghost-thing can sneak around better than I can."

Iggy frowned. "Look. Do you want your share of the treasure or not?"

Wendy placed a hand on her chest out of shock. "What kind of question is that?"

Iggy adjusted his glasses. "Well, now that I have your attention. Waluigi's attack makes too much noise, and the guards are too close together for that attack to be safe to use. Alboort isn't much of a fighter to begin with. You, on the other hand, have a unique ability to get close up to the Kritters safely and take them to a place where you can knock them off no problem."

Wendy smiled. "All right. You have my attention."  
Iggy flipped through a notebook. "Very well. Just climb down the ladder, and we'll get started."

Wendy sighed. "Okay." She climbed down the ladder and onto the forest floor. "But I better get paid extra for having to put up with all this dirt and grime."

Iggy groaned. "Well, I'm glad to see that your personality hasn't changed." He flipped through a couple pages and stopped. He dug his nose into the book. "However, you may have noticed that your body has changed a bit over the last few years."

Wendy smirked. "You better believe it." She fluffed the blond bangs that fell over her left eye." I finally have more hair than Ludwig, which is only fit."

Iggy coughed. "Well, yes, but I mean a few other changes that are sure to catch the Kritters' eyes."

Wendy placed a hand on her hip. "Wait. I thought this was a stealth mission."  
"Yeah. A stealth mission as in you don't get caught." Iggy flipped a page. "But let's start with the basics. The control stick lets you walk around, and you can perform a double jump by pressing the A button twice."

Wendy rolled her visible eye. "I'm not an idiot! You don't need to explain stuff like that."

"Oh, right." Iggy flipped back a couple pages. "Well, according to my notes, you happen to be very unique. For one, you are the only girl amongst the Koopalings."

Wendy laughed. "That's an easy one to figure out. You don't need to tell me."

Iggy pushed his glasses up. "Well, there is another thing that sets you apart from the other Koopalings, and that is your elemental preference. By pressing the B button, you can release a blast of water from both of your hands." He thought for a moment. "Before you do, you can attach the Thieftech over your eye to keep your hands free."

Wendy sighed as she placed the Thieftech over her ear and eye. She thrust her hands forward, and two spheres of water exploded into the forest. "Well, I do declare that that is pretty special."

Iggy laughed nervously. "Well, yes, that is quite impressive. But I'm afraid that won't necessarily do a lot of damage to water based creatures like Kritters, but the speed at which you can repeat the attack should make up for it. Nonetheless, it should be used as a last resort."

Wendy crossed her arms. "Then what am I supposed to do." She fluffed her hair. "I don't really care to get into a fight, myself."

Iggy flipped through his notebook. "Well, that's easy. You just need to strut your stuff."

Wendy raised an eyebrow. "Excuse me?"

"It's another thing that makes you unique." Iggy tapped his current page. "Unlike the rest of "Team Waluigi", you do not run. Instead, by shaking the Wii remote, you perform a Seductive Strut."

Wendy grinned. "Well, I will admit that I am beautiful. But seductive? Oh, you flatter." She grinned wider and nodded. "But you are correct."

Iggy chuckeld. "Let me go over to the computer real quick." He turned around in his chair. "Right. There should be a Kritter just outside of the hideout's clearing. Go use your Seductive Strut technique on him and lure him into the clearing."

"All right." Wendy walked onto the jungle path, swaying her hips ever so much as each foot gently touched the ground. She soon found a Kritter and walked past him.

The Kritter did a double take and stared after Wendy. He began parading behind her.

Wendy smiled as she turned around and strutted her way back to the hideout clearing. She paused. "What am I supposed to do now."

Iggy jumped. "Well, you shouldn't have stopped. You may be attractive, but you're still suspicious around these parts." He flipped a page. "Hurry! Turn around and press the Z button!"

Wendy quickly turned around to see the Kritter running at her. She pressed two of her clawed fingers to her lips and flung them forwards. A heart shot from her lips and struck the Kritter.

The Kritter stopped. It just stood there, swaying back and forth, its eyes glowing an eerie pink.

Wendy raised an eyebrow. "Well, that seems to have stopped him, but it doesn't seem to have damaged him."

"Your Flirty Kiss attack isn't going to hurt someone, but it will leave them dazed for a little bit." Iggy flipped through a couple pages. "Now walk up to him and press the B button. That'll let you use your Heartbreaker move on him, taking him out."

Wendy smiled as she walked up to the Kritter. "Heartbreaker, huh?" She raised her hand up and sunk it into the dazed Kritter's chest. She picked him up off his feet and smashed him flat into the ground.

The Kritter disappeared in a puff of green smoke.

Wendy held her chin. "Is that a bad thing? Is he going to attack me from the back now, or something?"

Iggy shook his head. "No. That just signals that guy's been knocked out. One, it leaves walking space after you take him out. Two, this is a children's game, so we can't have it look like you actually killed him."

Waluigi showed up on the opposite side of the screen. "Well, she's already playing the part of a seductress. I have to say that that should give the game a T rating, as it is."

Alboort replaced Waluigi. "Would you guys quit breaking the fourth wall, already? We need this job to get done!" He disappeared form the screen."

Iggy chuckled. "Well, Alboort is right. We need you to see about getting these Kritters out of the way, and fast. We're not on a tight schedule, but we have no idea when more reinforcements will come in."

"All right. All right." Wendy pulled her Thieftech off her face. "I'll see to these Kritter things get taken care of."

Iggy turned back to the computers. He scribbled a few numbers in the air and turned back to Wendy. "Great. You'll need to take out about twenty-five more, and you'll be done."

Wendy sighed. "Okay." She flipped her Thieftech shut and put it away. She strutted back into the jungle.

It didn't take long for the Koopa princess to find a Kritter, lead him back to the hideout, and Heartbreak him. After about five, though, she wiped her brow. She pulled out her Thieftech. "Iggy, this is taking too long," she whined.

"Hmm." Iggy flipped a page back and forth. "Well, you could try brining in a couple of Kritters at a time. It's risky, but if you act quickly, you should be able to take them out without hassle." He paused on one page. "But you do have one trick that should make it go even faster."

Wendy hit herself on the head and laughed. "Of course. How could I forget? By pressing the 2 button, I can double the trouble with my Double Trouble Clone technique." She raised her fist up into the air, and her ring glowed brightly. A second Wendy appeared in front of the her, and they both of them smiled at each other."

Iggy nodded. "Unfortunately, that clone won't last long. I suggest you use that move after you bring the Kritters into the clearing."

Wendy sighed. "All right. I'll see if I can finish this." She flipped her Thieftech shut and put it away. She turned around and strutted into the jungle.

The first clone disappeared a few seconds after Wendy left the clearing. Feeling lucky, she got five Kritters to parade behind her before she returned to the clearing. She created a clone, and the two started kissing away and Heartbreaking like crazy.

Wendy looked around at the puffs of green smoke and grinned. "I could get used to this."

Wendy went out and captured five more Kritters. She repeated this process until she had done it four times.

Wendy pulled out her vibrating Thieftech. "What is it?"

Iggy adjusted his glasses. "You've already taken out twenty-five Kritters. You can come back up to the hideout."

Wendy scratched the back of her head and pouted. "Oh, and just when I was having fun." She looked back at the jungle. "And you know what? I think I could get used to this place. This Kritters and much more attractive than much any of the Koopas I've seen."

Iggy furrowed his brow. "You can see about picking up a date later. For now, we need you back up in the hideout, so we know where you are."

Wendy growled lightly. "Fine." She shut her Thieftech and walked over to the hideout's ladder.

_Mission complete,_

_signed,_

_-The Koopalings_

Wendy stood over Iggy imperiously. "Why do you get to sign the mission book?"

Iggy shrugged. "Well, it seems only appropriate. We Koopalings tend to work together in everything."

Wnedy's eye flashed. "I don't care! I don't want my credit going to Roy or Ludwig! I want it changed! I WANT IT CHANGED! I WANT IT CHANGED!!!"

Iggy jumped. "Fine. I'll change it." He adjusted his glasses. "Sheesh."

_Mission complete,_

_signed,_

_-The Koopalings_

_-Wendy O'Koopa_

---

Yay. A new character to play as and a fair-sized chapter.

Okay, let's face it, the only real mission Wendy could go on was a seduction mission. I couldn't think of anything else.

Also, Iggy is most likely going to just play Alboort's part for the Koopalings. He may show up in some big operations, though.

Anyways, it's not like I can give each of the Koopalings a mission in each chapter, so I can't guarantee that she'll be played in a mission again.

Please, enjoy and review.


	34. Chapter 4 part 6

Chapter 4.6: Confuse Kalypso

Waluigi walked out of the hideout's front door. He pulled out his Thieftech and flipped it open. "Okay, Alboort, I understand that you want me to go take care of this Kalypso chick. But how am I going to do it? You already said I couldn't sneak up and attack her from behind."

Alboort nodded and smiled. "Oh, don't worry. I have a plan to take care of her. Just go back to the clearing with the lake and I'll explain."

Waluigi sighed as he flipped his Thieftech shut and pocketed it. He pulled out his whip and swung into the jungle. He ran across a few branches before swinging through the rest of the way.

Waluigi perched in a tree just above the lake. He pulled out his Thieftech and placed it over his over. He zoomed in on the purple-haired Kremling. "Okay, Alboort. Kalypso's here."

Alboort tapped a couple of keys. "Okay, this tactic should be quite sound."

Waluigi pulled out his baseball bat. "You want me to club her over the head and hide her away in some stone vault, right?"

Alboort raised an eyebrow. "Um, no."

Waluigi traded in his baseball bat for a Whiskered Eggplant. "Make her sick, and then attack her?"

Alboort furrowed his brow. "That's not exactly what I'm talking about."

Waluigi pitched the Whiskered Eggplant to the side. He rummaged in his pack and pulled out his whip. "Oh, I get it. You want me to smack her with this while she's not looking. I doubt Kalypso is used to facing such a weapon as my Thorn Whip."

Alboort palmed his face. "Waluigi, the point of this mission is not to take out Kalypso." He paused and looked up, smiling evilly. "Or rather, it's all about taking out Kalypso."

Waluigi raised an eyebrow. "Alboort, I'm afraid you lost me here."

Alboort tapped a few keys. "Well, as I've told you before, Kalypso is one of the smarter Kremlings, but just like the rest of the Kremlings, she'll fight when King K. Rool commands it. However, if she's not around for K. Rool to command..."

"Then she won't attack us." Waluigi pulled his pack out and rummaged through it. "So maybe I should start out with my tennis racket. It's strange angle is sure to throw her off and confuse her long enough for me to keep attacking her."

Alboort nearly fell out of his chair. "Don't you get it, Waluigi? I'm not telling you to attack her."

Waluigi paused, pinging the tennis racket on his hand. "Okay, then what do you want me to do? If I'm not going to attack her, how am I supposed to take her out of the picture?"

Alboort sighed. "I didn't mean to take her out of the picture. I meant 'take her out'."

Ashley pooped in on the other side of the screen. "Say Alboort, I have a question for you."

Alboort jumped. "Good grief! Is everybody going to be interrupting each other's calls, now?"

Ashley glared through the Thieftech. "Listen, this is a very important question, and I am not one who asks questions of others often."

Alboort sighed and placed his hand on his head. "Okay. But make it quick. King K. Rool might be in hiding, but he might notice a drop in guards at anytime."

Ashley crossed her arms. "Well, I was just wondering why it is that Waluigi is the only one in our gang who interacts with women."

Waluigi gaped, and Alboort's glasses almost fell off his face.

Alboort shook his head. "Um, maybe you could explain."

Ashley tilted her head and looked straight up in the air. "Well, these was 9-volt's mother, Kat, Ana, Mona, Vanessa, me, Peach, Daisy, Jill-"

"Who the heck is Jill!" Alboort turned to Waluigi. "You told Ashley, but not me?"

Ashley shrugged. "Well, I am simply saying that it's not like you interacted with any women directly unless you were with Waluigi." She spun a lock of her hair around a finger. "Sure, Toadsworth talked to Peach by himself, but he's her steward-babysitter-person. It's not he same as Waluigi interacting with her. And now there's Kalypso."

Alboort adjusted his glasses. "Well, It's not like I'm a real socialite, and we haven't really interacted with any women other than Peach after bringing Toadsworth aboard."

Ashley raised an eyebrow. "What about Kalypso? Couldn't one of the Koopalings do better with her, like Wendy with the Kritters?

Alboort looked off to the side. "Well, Iggy, despite his high intelligence, seems to be under the impression that girls have cooties, Roy doesn't have the finesse that is needed for the jungle, and Ludwig, though he didn't give a reason, refused." He tapped several keys. "Besides, Kalypso would have been more suspicious about a Koopa than the other Kritters."

Ashley held her chin. "I suppose that's true."

Waluigi raised an eyebrow. "Why are you even asking this, Ashley? I'm just getting jobs done."

A faint blush streaked across Ashley's face. "Well, it just seemed odd. What;s with thee roses?"

Waluigi pulledf a rose out from beneath his hat. "They're my trademark shtick." He put the rose away. "Look, Ash, could we just talk about this after I get this mission done? Alboort's probably stressed out enough about time as it is."

Ashley nodded curtly. "Very well." She disappeared from the screen.

Alboort nodded. "Thanks, Waluigi." He adjusted his glasses. "Now, the whole focus of this job is to dress up as a Kritter and get Kalypso to dance with you."

"Dance?" Waluigi looked between the Boo and the purple-haired Kremling. "Look, Kalypso is attractive and all, but I don't think the relationship would work out."

Alboort furrowed his brow. "Waluigi, this is a time to be serious."

Waluigi held his hands up defensively. "Woah! Don't even go there. I'm not planning on settling down for a good, long while."

Alboort frowned. "Okay, enough with the jokes! You know what I mean."

Waluigi snickered. "Sorry. You set that one up."

"And the question Ashley sprung didn't help to relieve it." Alboort held his head. "Look, all you have to do is impress Kalypso and put up with her high-pitched voice."

"Yeah. What's the problem with that anyways?" Waluigi held his chin. "I mean, women are supposed to have high-pitched voices."

Alboort tapped a couple of keys. "Well, Kalypso's voice is already higher than most women's voices." He clicked on his mouse. "However, Kremlings, being crocodilian in nature, tend to communicate in ways of very low frequencies. Kalypso's voice might have a painful nerve shock effect on other Kremlings due to the difference in vocal frequencies."

Waluigi nodded as he fished out his Kritter costume. "Won't she be suspicious if I don't react like other Kremlings?"

"There's a possibility." Alboort placed his hands together. "But you have to remember that I said Kalypso was smart for a Kremling, not the smartest person in the world."

Kritter Waluigi shrugged. "So you just want me to go down there and dance with her, and that's it."

Alboort pushed up his glasses. "That's it." He tapped his chin. "Well, you do remember how to dance, right?"  
Kritter Waluigi nodded. "Of course I know how to dance. I'm Waluigi! I mean, sure, I'll need to let her lead, but I just use the A,B,C, and Z buttons to copy her movements."

Alboory nodded. "Then, yeah, that's pretty much it." He disappeared from the Thieftech.

Kritter Waluigi flipped his Thieftech shut and pocketed it. He jumped down to the jungle floor, looked around, and walked in Kalypso's direction.

Kalypso looked up from the water to see the fake Kritter. "Hey, what are you doing here? Shouldn't you be on patrol?"

Kritter Waluigi shrugged as he strolled over. "Wasn't on my schedule."

Kalypso crossed her arms. "Well, it's not like you see a lot of Kritters come around here."

Kritter Waluigi waved one arm flippantly in the air. "Well, it's not like there are a lot of prettier places to go."  
Kalypso laughed. "Of course there are prettier places than here." She turned to the jungle. "I admit that there aren't many, but the waterfall is nice. The clifftops are also quite pretty during the sunset."

Kritter Waluigi tapped Kalypso. After she turned around, he smiled. "But you're here."

Kalypso's eyes widened, and she laughed. "My, someone certainly is the flatterer."

Kritter Waluigi grinned toothily. "How about a dance?"

Kalypso laughed even louder. "Well, you don't often find many Kritters with such a charming request."

Kritter Waluigi rubbed his foot against the dirt. "I'm afraid I haven't learned too many dances, though, so you'll have to lead."

Kalypso held out her hand. "Well, if you insist."

Kritter Waluigi took hold of her hand. "I insist."

The real and the fake Kremling began to dance. It was like a foxtrot with a little bit of salsa flair to it. No music was to be heard but the sounds of the jungle.

After several sweeps across the banks, Kalypso raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure you never danced before?"

Kritter Waluigi shrugged. "I never said I couldn't dance. I just said I needed to learn."

Kalypso laughed. "Then I must be a great teacher."

The dancing continued for a while. Kritter Waluigi spun Kalypso around at the end of each pass. The two danced for a little longer, anding with Waluigi spinning the purple-haired Kremling, catching her in both hands and drawing her close.

Kalypso laughed again. "Well, you certainly do know how to charm a girl."

Kritter Waluigi jumped back. "Well, I should probably get back to patrol before I'm missed."

Kalypso placed her hands on her hip. "I thought you said patrol wasn't on your schedule."

Kritter Waluigi smiled. "Well, it's called a hidden agenda."

Kalypso laughed, flinging her head back. "Well, you want to add another event on your 'hidden agenda'?"

Kritter Waluigi waved. "Let's say by the waterfall. Say, about sunset."

Kalypso smiled. "You're on."

Kritter Waluigi pulled pulled out a rose and threw it at Kalypso. "See you there."

Kalypso caught the rose and flipped in right-side-up. "I'll be waiting."

Kritter Waluigi nodded and walked into the jungle. He pulled out his Thieftech. "Well, Kalypso isn't going to be anywhere near the Fat Croc tonight."

Alboort smiled. "That's good." He tapped a few keys. "By the way, how are your ears?"

"Fine." Kritter Waluigi shrugged. "Sure, she laughed a lot, but it wasn't nearly as annoying as the laughter of a certain Boo I know when he's writing up plans."

Alboort grimaced. "Ah, well, I'm glad everything turned out all right. Anyways, come back to the hideout. I'll need you on standby in case Toadsworth gets into any trouble later."

Kritter Waluigi nodded. "Don't worry. I shouldn't be too long." He hustled his way down the jungle path.

_Mission complete,_

_signed,_

_-Waluigi_

---

Okay, I realize that characters like Kalypso, Kludge, Kip, and Kass were only in the one game, Donkey Kong: Barrel Blast, but a full cast like that needs to show up in another game. They should show up in the spin-offs, at least. Of course, given this chapter, if Kalypso showed up in the next Mario Baseball game, she would have bad chemistry with the Kongs, good chemistry with the Kremlings, and maybe even good chemistry with Waluigi.

Bah! I stand by what I originally said about Waluigi. The guy's the womanizer of the Mario/Wario/DK world franchises. Nobody is evidently canon with him, and he just has he personality for it.

Anyways, please enjoy and review.


	35. Chapter 4 part 7

Chapter 4.7: Surf Lingo Lesson

Toadsworth hopped out of the front door of the hideout. He pulled out his Thieftech and pulled it open. "Well, Master Alboort, I'm afraid I'm not really sure about walking around the jungle as I am."

Alboort tapped several keys. "Don't worry so much about that. Funky Kong should be on the beach behind the hideout. All you'll have to do is climb down the ladder, walk around the base of the tree, and towards the beach. There shouldn't be any Kritters in the way."

Toadsworth adjusted his spectacles. "Well, that certainly is handy."

"Yes, well, finding Funky Kong isn't the only problem." Alboort clicked his mouse. "Are you ready to talk to him?"

Toadsworth fiddled with his staff. "Well, I took a quick crash course on the internet about surfer lingo. I should be able to at least speak with him."

Alboort pushed his glasses up. "As long as you can get him to go after Kludge, that should be enough."

Toadsworth nodded. "Very well, dear boy, I will do my best." He pushed his Thieftech shut and pocketed it. He walked over to the ladder and climbed down.

After Toadsworth hit the ground, he walked around the tree the hideout was in. After rounding the tree, he walked forward. "To the beach, then." He hurried his pace slightly.

Toadsworth soon found himself standing on the sands of the beach. He looked around and adjusted his spectacles. "Well, this certainly is strange. There doesn't seem to be a single man to be seen around here."

Suddenly, a massive wave rolled its way toward the beach.

"Cowabunga!" A Kong with sunglasses rode his way over the wave and jumped into the air. He spun his board in the air and landed back on the water. He sped his way over the surface and turned sharply as he approached the beach.

Toadsworth covered his face with his hands and spluttered.

The Kong kicked his surfboard up into his hands and walked over to Toadsworth. "Sorry, senior, didn't see you standing there."

Toadsworth rubbed his mustache clean and shook his head. "Oh, that's quite all right... dude."

Funky Kong grinned. "So, senior, what brings you 'round here." He looked out at the see and frowned. "I'm afraid that was that last swell of the day."

Toadsworth pulled on his mustache. "Well, dude, my bros and I need you to take care of a big dork called named Kludge."

Funky Kong held his hand up defensively. "Woah, senior! I admit, Kludge isn't the Big Kahuna on the beach, but he certainly, but he certainly is a crusher. I'm hoping you mean a surf competition, but I'm guessing you mean to give him a beat down. Action ain't my thing, senior. It's totally bogus. I don't have a bone to pick with the big dude right now."

Toadsworth held his chin. _He does have a good point. It might seem odd for him to just attack Kludge without significant reason._ He sketched his staff on the sand. _Should I beg him to fight, tell him about King K. Rool's plan, or threaten him myself?_ He looked Funky Kong over. _Well, he certainly isn't going to fight without a real reason, and I doubt I could take him on myself._

Toadsworth cleared his throat. "Well, dawg, you'll have a bone to pick with him soon enough because King K. Rool is planning to do some action against the Kongs."

Funky Kong frowned. "Now that's bogus, silver surfer." He took hold of his chin. "But I'm a lover, not a fighter. Why don't you get Donkey Kong or another of my local cuzzes to beat down Kludge?"

Toadsworth pulled on his mustache. _Again, a good point._ He adjusted his spectacles. _Should I point out that Donkey Kong is out of commission, Funky's record with Kludge, or reinforce the idea of King K. Rool's attempt at takeover?_ He tapped steadily on his staff. _Well, I guess King K. Rool isn't much of a threat to Funky Kong, himself, but Alboort did say that Funky Kong had a serious rivalry with Kludge._

Toadsworth spun his staff in his hand. "Well, dude, Kludge has been chatting bogus about you lately."

Funky Kong shrugged. "That's no prob on my shoulders, senior. Kludge talks bogus about me. I talk bogus about Kludge. It's all good. We always argue about who's more radical."  
Toadsworth twitched his mustache and huffed. So much for that idea._ I suppose I'll just have to tell him about Donkey Kong._ He cleared his throat. "Didn't you know? Donkey Kong's been beat down by his two sheilas, Pauline and Candy."

Funky Kong placed his hand over his eyes and laughed. "Oh. Now that is swick! I admit, Candy's a real bunny, and Pauline is the ciara, but the Big Kuhuna certainly needed a reality check."

Toadsworth stared blankly at Funky Kong. "Don't you get it, you beach bum! Donkey Kong has been rag dolled, and Diddy won't go on to take care of the Big Kahuna's business!"

Funky Kong pointed at Toadsworth. "Well, why didn't just say so, senior?" He paused and shook his head. "Kiff? The Big Kahuna's been washed out?"

Toadsworth nodded. "And if you don't get out the beat down on Kludge, things are just going to get totally bogus. "

"Kiff?" Funky Kong scratched his head. "Well, if the Big Kahuna's washed out, and the Little Kahuna is sticking true," he sighed and lowered his head, "then I don't have a choice but to take the spotlight and make some waves."

Toadsworth chuckled. "Mahalo, plenty, but how do you intend to beat down Kludge?"

Funky Kong hopped on his board. "Oh, that's easy. I can surf the land like Mother Ocean." He patted his surfboard. "And I can do all sorts of things on this baby. Not only can I double jump, but I can also catch some air by holding down the A button, getting some serious distance with Hang Time."

Toadsworth nodded. "That's radical! But what about attacks?"

Funky Kong pumped his arms. "Well, pressing the B button let's me use Funky Punch, and I can pick up enemies with my Kong Katch, pressing the Z button. I can then use my Long Kong Toss to throw enemies I've picked up by pressing the B button after catching them."

Toadsworth adjusted his glasses. "Well, what with things go arbor?"

"Up in the trees?" Funky Kong pulled out a metal tube with a mango sticking out of the front. "I'll just shoot him down with my Funky Bazooka. I can raise and lower the trajectory of this baby with the control pad."

Toadsworth gave Funky Kong a thumbs up. "Sounds totally radical! Now, go bring the beat down."

"Chyeah!" Funky Kong paddled his board through the air and into the jungle, leaving Toadsworth on the beach.

Funky Kong sped through the jungle. He caught a Kritter by the chest and threw him deep into the trees as he went by. Another Kritter threatened him, and he punched its lights out.

Soon, Funky Kong found himself in a jungle clearing. Kludge was squatting on the other side, talking to a couple of Kremling children.

Funky Kong paddled his way into the clearing. "Check it, Kludge! I've come to wipe the jungle with you!"

Kludge looked up from the two Kremling children. He chuckled and crossed his arms. "Dude! As if! You couldn't ride an ankle breaker."

Funky Kong pointed at Kludge. "You wanna prove it, shoobie? I heard your Big Kahuna was planning some totally bogus action!"

Kludge clenched a fist savagely. "Nobody calls me a shoobie, yuppie!" He raised both fists. "You want to eat it on my fists!?"

Funky Kong gave a sighing laugh. "Always the aggro, Kludge."

The two Kremling children climbed up onto a rock, so they were at eye level with the massive one.

"Don't take dat kind of ta'k, K'udge," the boy said.

"Yeah. Give him what he's asking for!" shouted the girl.

Kludge flexed his arms above his head. "Then let's start this infusion crashing!"

The massive Kremling ran towards Funky Kong. He swung his massive arm down for a jab.

Funky Kong swerved out of the way of the punch. "Totally lame, dude." He punched Kludge in the stomach. "But that's boss!"

Kludge swung a couple more punches, only to miss the swerving Kong and get punched in the stomach himself.

Funky Kong laughed. He swung his arm forward and clutched onto Kludge's stomach. He swung even further, and the Kremling was launched across the clearing.

Kludge sat up from his collapsed position and rubbed his head. "Okay, yuppie! You came for a swell? You're going to feel a massive!" He turned around, grabbed firmly onto two trees, and quickly shimmied his way up. At the top, he turned around and started walking over the thick jungle canopy.

Funky Kong pulled out his Funky Bazooka. He began shooting mangoes up into the trees rapidly.

Kludge was quickly smothered in fruit pulp. He backed up a bit and fell out of the trees.

"Bummer!" Funky Kong paddled his way out of the shadow before the Kremling crashed on the ground.

Kludge jumped to his feet. "Okay, dork. Prepare to be rag dolled!" He ran over and swung both arms down.

Funky Kong swerved out of the way of the slam and around the Kremling. He grabbed Kludge on the back and threw him into the trees again.

Kludge snarled and jumped up into the trees again.

Funky Kong pulled out his gun. "Oh no you don't!" He began shooting mangoes again.  
Once again, Kludge fell out of the trees, coated in mango sauce. He stood himself up, his eyes glowing even redder than usual. He growled and ran towards the Kong, swinging his fists rapidly.

Funky Kong kept shooting mangoes at the angered Kremling. With plenty of distance, he swerved out of the way and towards the other side of the clearing.

Kludge snarled as he crashed into the trees. He turned and ran again towards Funky Kong, reeling his fist backwards.

Funky Kong sped forward. Just before his opponent could smash him, he punched the Kremling straight in the gut.

Kludge flinched for a moment. He trotted back a couple steps and groaned. "Nacho!" He fell forward.

Funky Kong swerved out of the way of the falling Kremling. He grinned and nodded. "And the cup goes to Funky Kong!" He stopped. "Wait? Now why did I even end up in a fight with Kludge in the first place." He gave it some thought and snapped his fingers. "Chyeah! I should probably go tell that silver surfer I left on the beach!"

Funky Kong turned his board around and paddled his way out of the clearing.

_Mission complete,_

_signed,_

_-Toadsworth_

---

Yes, I know that Funky Kong took care of the mission, but he isn't really a member of Team Waluigi. So the mission goes to Toadsworth by default.

I bet some people might have been guessing that Kalypso was a possibility for the new team member, but I think it should be obvious who it will be. Sorry.

By the way, seeing how Kludge is Funky Kong's rival, I figured he'd have a surfer accent, too.

Please enjoy and review.

For more information on surfer lingo: #s


	36. Chapter 4 part 8

Chapter 3.8: Operation: Crown Fools

Alboort smiled as he floated beside his projector. "Well, I've finally got this thing stabilized." He laughed nervously as he pulled out the button for the projector. "Too bad it's already time to get out of here." He clicked the button.

A picture of the dam showed up on the screen, and Alboort floated over to it. "After Ashley broke this dam, I found out that it was only holding back water. Then that second dam showed up." Alboort flipped the button into the air and caught it. "Now, I had to think about it for a while, but I had to laugh when I figured it out." He snickered and palmed his face. "You see, even though King K. Rool is both crocodilian and the strongest one on the island, his massive weight is too much for him to swim. So, I figure that if we can just break the dam, the Kremling King won't be able to do a thing to anyone."

Iggy nodded and pushed up his glasses. "We also figured out that the dam is, indeed, magic-proof." He smiled. "But I've put together a quick surprise that could take that thing out without too much difficulty."

Waluigi raised an eyebrow. "So the dam gets broken, and we all get to leave? That seems a little too simple."

Alboort nodded. "Indeed. I figure we should get some profit out of this whole ordeal." He furrowed his brow. "Unfortunately, I haven't been able to find the code for the vault."

Ashley rolled her eyes. "So let me guess. You want me to come along with you to carry the thing out, so you can play around with it later."

Alboort adjusted his glasses. "Well, Waluigi will need to come along as well." He clicked the button, and a collage of Kritters, Kalypso, and Kludge showed up on the screen." We may have gotten rid of most of the Kremling warriors, but there will likely be a few Kritters left to get in the way."

Waluigi leaned back in his chair. "Well, that shouldn't be much of a problem. But couldn't you just have Ashley throw the vault at the Kritters."

Alboort nodded. "I thought about that, but we have no idea what could be in the vault. I wouldn't want any jewels to get damaged, so we'll need someone to play bodyguard. After we make it out of the valley, we can let Iggy go to town on the dam." He clicked the button, and the picture of King K. Rool appeared. "Above all, we want to make sure that we avoid the Kremling King himself at all costs."

Alboort clicked the button, and the screen went black. "Now, let's get going. We're losing daylight, and I don't want to be stuck using torches."

---

Alboort, Waluigi, Ashley walked out of the hideout and climbed down the ladder.

Alboort turned to his two human companions. "Okay. I was able to find the location of the vault, but it's a little difficult to specify the location itself." He turned around and floated down the path.

Waluigi and Ashley ran after the Boo. They ended up turning several times across the jungle floor, passing a couple of crumbled buildings.

Waluigi looked around and took hold of his chin. "Wow. This place is a lot different once your out of the trees."

Ashley nodded. "I don't think that even I went this far into the jungle."

Alboort pushed his glasses up as he rushed down the path. "Just clam down. We're not that far from the vault, and I don't you guys attracting any attention yet."

The threesome ran until they came across a small cave in a cliffside. The Boo led them into the cave and floated towards the back.

Alboort stopped near the back. "Okay. I'm going to need to blast the vault out of the side of the wall, so stand clear!"

Waluigi and Ashley stood back as Alboort placed a bomb on the cave wall. He floated away and blew the bomb up.

Alboort repeated his bombing on the other three sides, needing to jump to put the one on top. After the fourth side, a black vault shot out of the wall.

"Heads up." Waluigi jumped to the side.

Ashley stepped out of the way, letting the vault fly past her.

The vault clanged against the cave floor near the mouth and clattered to a halt.

Alboort gasped and caught his breath. After a minute of looking back and forth between the vault and his companions, he released his breath in a quick burst. "Okay. Ashley, if the bombs didn't attract the attention of everyone within a hundred yards of the cave, that vault probably did. So, grab it, and let's get going."

Ashley nodded and ran over to the vault. She waved her scepter over it, and a beam glowed around it. She slowly pulled the vault off of the ground until it was about a foot up in the air. She grunted. "Well, I'm going to have to focus on this a bit, so I can't really run with it."

Alboort swallowed. "I was afraid of that." He turned to Waluigi. "You need to take the lead. Don't go too fast, though, because you'll need to protect Ashley on our way back to the beach."

"Okay. Alboort." Waluigi ran to the mouth of the cave.

The first little bit was rather quiet, but it didn't take too long for the guards to come running.

One Kritter rounded the corner and pointed at them. "Hey! What do you guys have there?"

Waluigi didn't use words to answer. Instead, he pulled out a Whiskered Eggplant and threw it at the Kritter.  
The Kritter practically caught the thing in his mouth. He doubled over and fell to the ground.

Waluigi pulled out his thorn whip and started lashing at the Kritter until it disappeared. He turned around. "What's the progress?"

Ashley grumbled as she pushed ahead with the vault.

Alboort floated around Ashley. "We're making steady progress, but we may take a while." He held out one of his bombs. "Look, you just keep taking care of the front. That's where most of the new guards should be coming from. I'll plant bombs to cover our tracks."

Waluigi nodded. "Got it." He turned around and whipped a Kritter running at the caravan. He lashed at it several more times until it disappeared.

Ashley was able to rush forward a bit after the Kritter was gone, but the little spurt didn't last long.

Waluigi turned back to Ashley. "Don't worry about it, Ash! We still have about an hour before sunset. You just take your time and take care of the loot." He lashed his whip into empty air. "I'll take care of anyone who gets in our way."

The little troupe ventured back towards the hideout. It was a relatively slow go, but Waluigi kept whirling his whip over his head.

Once, about three Kritters cam at the same time. Waluigi threw a Whiskered Eggplant at each of them, forcing them to cripple down to their knees. He ran up to the lot of them and slammed them into the ground with his heel.

Alboort kept laying bombs down behind the group. Only about one Kritter came from that direction, but Alboort kept blowing the bombs up so he could place one nearer the group.

Soon, Waluigi lashed a Kritter over the head, and it disappeared. He looked ahead and pointed. "We're almost back to the clearing, guys. Just a little bit more."

Ashley just huffed as she walked forward.

Alboort patted the witch on the shoulder. "Just stay focused, Ashley. There's going to be one more obstacle before the beach." HE floated around the weight-lifting girl. "Hey! Waluigi! You mind bringing up the rear? I'm pretty sure no more Kritters are going to come from the front."

"Okay." Waluigi ran around Ashley and gripped his whip firmly. Only two more Kritters made their way after the band of thieves, but Waluigi kept them at bay with his whip.

The threesome soon approached the treehouse.

Alboort pushed up his glasses. "Okay. Now, we just need to go around the hideout and up the hill to the beach.

Ashely's eye twitched. "Hill?"

Alboort nodded. "Well, of course. If it was flat all the way to the beach, then there wouldn't be much point in trying to flood the island.

Waluigi walked up beside the witch. "Don't worry, Ash. I'll help you get the thing up there."

As Alboort stood at the bottom of the hill, Waluigi kneed the vault, so that the heavy metal chest would fly up a bit. Ashley kept it from falling back down.

It took a little work, but Ashley and Waluigi soon rounded the top of the hill.

Ashley let the vault drop into the sand. "I need to take a rest." She slumped beside the vault.

Red popped back into his normal self. "Don't worry, Ashley. I'll get you something."

Alboort climbed up onto the beach and nodded. "I'll tell Iggy that it's time to break the dam." He pulled out his Thieftech.

---

Iggy Koopa was tightening the last bolt on a barrel with wings and a propeller. He pulled out a ringing Thieftech that looked completely cybernetic. He flipped it open and held it between his ear and shoulder. "What is it?"

Alboort's voice echoed over the cell phone-like device. "Okay, Iggy. We're on the beach and waiting for the flood.

Iggy nodded. "Okay. I just finished my quick, little invention." He tapped the barrel a couple times. "I just hope it lasts the hour. I didn't get to spend much time working on it."

"I'm sure it's fine. What is it, anyway?"

Iggy pulled the Thieftech away from his ear and held it up to the barrel. "It's just a simple airplane made out of some of the local resources. I wish I had better ammo for my turret than grapes and pebbles, but I had to make do."

Alboort nodded. "Well, it doesn't have to be perfect. It just has to take out that dam."

Iggy nodded. "Okay. I'll call you when the deed is done. He flipped the Thieftech shut and stuck it in one of his lab coat's pockets. He jumped into the small airplane and was soon off the ground.

As Iggy flew around for a moment, he tapped his small dashboard. "Okay. Systems check. I just press the control stick left and right to turn." He swerved to the left and to the right. "Okay. That seems to be working. Now, I press down on the control to go up, and up on the control stick to go down." He rose a little and dove some more. "Okay. Steering seems to be in order," he turned to the right, "so let's go see about this dam."

It didn't take long for the small airplane to approach the golden dam. Iggy traced his finger over the dashboard to check his readings. "Okay. Everything looks fine. I should be in the air for a while." He looked up and pushed back his glasses. "Now, the ruby may protect the dam from magic, but I'm guessing it's the physically weakest part of the dam." He took a firm grip of the steering wheel and flipped open a pair of lids. "Okay. I can hold down the B button to shoot. Unfortunately, this gun isn't high quality, so it might burn out, if I shoot for too long."

Iggy dove the plane towards the dam and started shooting. The bursts of makeshift bullets were short, but they were getting the job done.

Iggy snickered as he turned the plane away from the dam to avoid crashing. He rose up in the air and flew away a bit before turning around to repeat his attack.

As Iggy shot at the dam, he looked down. "Blast! There's still a few Kritters left to repair the dam." His clawed finger hovered over a red button on the dashboard. "I'll just have to get rid of them by pressing the Z button to drop a bomb."

As Iggy approached the dam, he turned to the left and dropped a coconut bomb on top of the Kritters on that side. When he came back for his third pass, he blasted away the Kritters on the right of the dam.

The dam was soon cracking terribly underneath the pounding Iggy was giving it.

Iggy was diving in for a final go, when something hit his ship. "What the heck was that!?" He turned around to see a bunch of small, brownish-green Kremlings with propeller on their hats.

Iggy pounded the side of his airplane. "Kopters! Curses! I can't let them attack this ship too much, or it will fall to pieces." He swerved out of the way of a Kopter that tried to tackle him. "Okay. I can use the A button to speed up the plane a bit, and by pressing the C button while moving the control stick, I can preform basic evasive maneuvers."

Iggy turned forward. He raised his hand up to his head and pulled his flying goggles over his glasses. "Time to do a barrel roll!"

Iggy spun his airplane to the side and out of the way of some incoming Kopters. He spun back the other way as more flew forward.

Iggy growled. "I'll never break the dam at this rate. Those Kopters just keep regrouping." He pulled back on the steering wheel. "So it's time to bring the fight to them."

The airplane rose high in the air and looped behind the airborne Kremlings. Iggy went to town and blasted the Kopters out of the air. "There. That's good."

Iggy sped forward to the dam. He raised his turret gun and began shooting like mad.

Soon, the two King K. Rool heads on the dam fell off from all the cracking. Water began to squirt through the many cracks until the whole dam crumbled beneath the flood. The waterfall beneath the dam became a flying Nile River.

Iggy flew up high into the air and pumped his arms. "Yeah. And that's the way we Koopalings roll. I'd like to see Bowser Jr. do that."

Iggy's Thieftech started rining.

Iggy fished into his pocket and pulled it out. He flipped it open to see Ludwig. "What?"

Ludwig looked both ways. "You have not broken the dam and let the vater run loose yet, have you?"

Iggy smiled. "Why? You, Roy, and Wendy still stuck in the tree?"

Ludwig shook his head. "No. Ve are on the beach vith the others. Vell, Roy and myself, anyvays."

Iggy pulled his goggles up. "Where's Wendy?"

"Ach! Like I am supposed to be Vendy's keeper!" Ludwig straightened his bowtie and cleared his throat. "Vut I mean to say is that Vendy vent out to look for some more Kritters. Toadsvorth vent vith her, but I do not think the either vun will be happy to be stuck in the middle of vater."

Iggy smacked his forehead. "Why didn't you tell me this before I broke the dam?"

Ludwig shrugged. "I did not realize you vere breaking dam so early."

Iggy sighed as he flipped his Thieftech shut and turned the plane around. "I sure hope this thing can support some more weight."

---

Wendy and Toadsworth sat on top of a fair-sized plateau in the middle of the jungle.

Toadsworth walked over to the edge of the plateau. "By my grandfather's marmalade! I do believe we are stuck, princess."

Wendy pouted. "What do you mean stuck? I can't be stuck."

Toadsworth turned around and adjusted his spectacles. "Well, princess, unless you are volunteering to swim us over to the beach, I'm afraid we can't do much until the floods recede."

Wendy looked horrified. "I can't go swimming! I just did my hair and make-up."

Toadsworth walked over to Wendy and sat down. "Then I suppose we will simply have to wait for rescue."

Wendy sighed as she sat down beside the old Toad. "Well, this certainly isn't what I had in mind."

After a minute, a pretty good-sized tree floated towards the plateau.

Wendy stood up and pointed at the tree. "Oh. Someone's bringing us a boat! We're saved!" She clasped both hands together. "Oh. I certainly hope the man saving us is handsome."

As the tree approached the plateau-turned-island, two big green sets of claws could be seen over the edge. King K. Rool hoisted himself over the tree and landed heavily on the plateau.

Wendy cringed. "Oh, wow. You're not handsome at all."

King K. Rool growled. "Well, you're not my type of girl, either." He pointed at the broken dam. "And both of you don't look like the type to be on my island! Were you the ones that broke my dam!?"  
Wendy huffed and placed her hands on her hips. "Well, I never! Even if we did, you should be thanking us. That thing was nothing more than an eyesore."

King K. Rool roared. "Watch your tongue! That thing was of prime beauty, and I'm holding you responsible for its destruction!"

Toadsworth stood in front of Wendy. "I say, dear boy. That is no way to talk to a princess. Even if you are a king, it's most disrespectful of you to speak in such a manner towards the royalty of another kingdom."

King K. Rool pointed at Toadsworth. "So what? You think you can challenge me." He chuckled and flexed his arms. "Very well, but I'm not the kind of guy who's happy when his buildings get destroyed."

Toadsworth jumped forward and raised his staff. "Tally-ho! To battle I go! Pip pip!"

King K. Rool roared as he ran forward. He swung two heavy haymakers down at the old Toad, but he missed as his target jumped nimbly out of the way.

Toadsworth turned to King K. Rool and tensed. Brown and gold spores shot out of his head and towards the Kremling King.

King K. Rool lunged at the old Toad, but as soon as he hit the spore cloud, he flinched back it a hacking fit.

Toadsworth chuckled as he ran over. He smacked King K. Rool several times with his staff before jumping back.

King K. Rool sneezed the spores away. He turned back to Toadsworth and swung a might fist down at him again.

Toadsworth merely jumped out of the way and blasted spores at the Kremling King again. When he had the massive Kremling in a hacking fit, he ran over and smacked him several more times.

King K. Rool sneezed away the pernicious spores and growled, his bloodshot eye growing larger and even more bloodshot. He growled as he ponded the ground around himself.

Toadsworth was just able to jump out and run away from the mess of attacks. He stood watch until the Kremling King stopped.

King K. Rool ran towards Toadsworth again, heaving haymakers back and forth.

Toadsworth jumped out of the way as the Kremling King passed. As his opponent turned around, he sprayed more spores at the massive Kremling.

King K. Rool hacked and wheezed in all the spores.

Toadsworth nodded and ran up to the Kremling, smacking him over and over with his staff.

After King K. Rool sneezed away the third cloud of spores, he jumped away form Toadsworth and into the middle of the plateau. He pointed viciously at Toadsworth, seething. "Okay, twerp, you want to play with the big boys!" He pulled his crown off his head and threw it at Toadsworth.

Toadsworth tried to jumped out of the way, but the crown was too fast. He was struck by the golden projectile and shot down to the ground. He slowly slid over to Wendy's feet.

King K. Rool caught the crown as it flew back to him. After placing it on his head, he laughed. "That's what you get when you try to act bigger than you are."

Toadsworth looked up at Wendy slowly. "Princess, I'm sorry."

Wendy looked up from the old Toad to the fat Kremling. She placed her hands on her hips and hissed. "I already told you that we weren't the ones who broke your stupid old dam."

King K. Rool laughed. "What? You mean to tell me that you want to go a round?"

Wendy jumped forward and crossed her arms. "What I'm telling you is that you better not throw that crown at me." She smiled. "That is, unless you expect me to keep it."

King K. Rool raised his hand to his crown. "Very well. Then come and see what happens when you cross the King of the Kremlings!" He threw the crown at Wendy with enough force to shoot it clean through a bulldozer.

Wendy jumped to the side as the crown flew by and stepped back the other way when it returned. She blasted King K. Rool several times with water."

King K. Rool shook the water off and ran towards Wendy, pulling back his fist.

Wendy jumped out of the way just as the Kremling King smashed his hand into the ground. She turned around and blew a Flirty Kiss at him.

King K. Rool went in in a heart-crazed daze as he stumbled back and forth.

Wendy nodded and walked up to the massive Kremling. She grabbed him by the chest and smashed him into the ground. She jumped back and blasted some more water at him.

King K. Rool stood up and brushed the water away from himself. He pulled his crown off his head and threw it at Wendy.

Wendy jumped away from the boomerang crown and landed gracefully on the plateau. She blew another kiss and waited.

King K. Rool was running to hit the Koopa princess, but he met the kiss and started stumbling back and forth again.

Wendy ran up and performed another Heartbreaker. She smiled as she jumped away.

King K. Rool soon jumped heavily onto his own feet. He picked his crown up off his head and threw it again.

Wendy just barely avoided the crown this time, and the return was far too close for comfort. She looked back at the Kremling King to see him running at her again. She jumped back from the punches and blew another kiss.

King K. Rool stopped his punching as his eyes turned from red to pink.

Wendy ran over and slammed the Kremling King into the ground again. She jumped back and smiled.

This time, when the Kremling King stood up, he saw two Wendys.

Wendy and her clone smiled as they raised their hands. They both started pelting the massive Kremling with blasts of water.

King K. Rool sputtered as he reached for his crown, but his hand never made it. Instead, he gave out a very low groan and wobbled back and forth. He fell forward with a heavy thud, his crown rolling away from his head.

Wendy picked the crown up of the ground and smiled. "I warned you." She placed the crown on her head in between her tiara and her bow. She pulled out a hand mirror and examined herself. "Well, it's not my color, but replacing some of the gems should fix that easily enough."

Iggy flew low and landed carefully on the plateau-island. He jumped out of the plane and looked around. "Wow. What the heck happened here?"

Wendy smiled as she walked over to the plane. "A king just learned who really rules the roost."

Iggy looked over at King K. Rool and sighed. He walked over to Toadsworth and picked him up. He shook his head as he walked back to the barrel-plane. "Well, your highness, I certainly hope you don't mind flying coach because I'm going to need to drive."

---

The plane flew over to the beach quite gracefully, but the landing all but crunched the barrel-plane to pieces.

Iggy jumped out of the plane and walked towards the rest of the group. He hoisted Toadsworth off of his shoulder. "Okay, old man, can you walk?"

Toadsworth coughed a couple times and adjusted his spectacles. "Well, I had the wind knocked out of me, but nothing seems to be broken."

"Good." Iggy placed the old Toad on the sandy beach.

Toadsworth walked over to the rest of the group. He coughed again. "Quite a brute, that K. Rool fellow."

Alboort nodded. "I'm sorry you had to go up against him."

Wendy walked past the old Toad. "Ahem! I was the one who took out the fat freak."

Roy crossed his arms. "So what do you want? A medal?"

Ludwig nodded. "You shouldn't have gone out in the place. You knew ve vere planning to leave."

Wendy scowled. "Fine, you bunch of killjoys."

Cranky Kong and Funky Kong rounded the end of the beach. They walked over to the gang.

Cranky Kong stepped towards Team Waluigi. "Well done. Well done indeed." He pointed his walking stick at the flooded jungle. " Even if that water ever gives out, it will take forever for that place to dry out, let alone to rebuild the Kremling empire."

Alboort adjusted his glasses. "I'm glad you're happy with what we did."

Waluigi leaned against the Boo. "Yeah. We took care of our end of the bargain."

Cranky Kong held up his cane. "All right. I get the point." He pointed his walking stick at Funky Kong. "Pay them."

Funky Kong smiled. "Right on, senior." He threw the crate from his shoulder in front of Team Waluigi.

Waluigi and Ashley walked up to the crate. Ashley popped the lid open, and Waluigi reached in.

"Bananas!" Waluigi pulled out two bunches of the fruit. "It's all bananas!"

Alboort floated up between Waluigi and Cranky Kong. "I apologize. My associate isn't familiar with your local currency."

Cranky Kong shrugged. "It's the best bananas we have."

Roy picked up the crate. He plucked a banana out and ate it whole. "Then what are we complaining about?"

Alboort nodded. "We did end up with a fair part of King K. Rool's fortune."

Waluigi ran down the beach. "I'll go get the van."

It didn't take long for the big purple can to race around the edge of the beach and down to the rest of the gang.

Alboort turned to Funky Kong. "By the way, would you mind coming along with us?"

Funky Kong held his chin. "Well, there haven't been any swells around here."

Alboort waved his hand towards the van. "Well, we do happen to be going on a world tour."

Funky Kong gave Alboort a thumbs up. "Sounds radical, dude."

Waluigi jumped out of the van. "Yeah. Now our only problem is that the ferry won't be back until tomorrow."

Iggy stepped forward. "Well, I have a simple solution for that." He pulled a remote out of one of his pockets. "You see, I got awfully bored on the trip here, and I was able to finish this fun little project this morning." He pressed the button.

Waluigi and the rest jumped back from the van as it started to shift. Before long, a massive motorboat stood in place of the van.

Funky Kong laughed. "Totally radical!"

"Yeah, radical." Waluigi jumped into the driver's seat. "Next time. Let's wait until the thing is in the water."

Roy, Funky, Ludwig, and Iggy pushed the boat towards the ocean as the others jumped in. As soon as the vehicle was in the water, the whole gang jumped in, and they sped off.

After becoming stabilized, Alboort floated up beside Waluigi. "You know, we got paid and ruined all of King K. Rool's plans, but I can't help thinking that we forgot something."

Waluigi snickered and pulled his hat over his eyes. "I didn't forget a thing."

---

Kalypso swam up to a ledge by what used to be the waterfall. She pulled herself up and brushed herself off. She looked up and placed her hands on her hips. "Well, would you look at that."

In the light of the setting sun, a dark rainbow was pasted across the arcing river, skipping orange and yellow but holding lots of pink and black-blues.

Kalypso leaned back against the cliff. "Well, I think this has to be the prettiest place in this dump." She looked around. "I wonder if that guy from earlier is going to show up."

Kalypso's search was stopped when she saw something stabbed into the rock face. She walked over and pulled a purple rose out of the rock, a note attached to the stem. Her eyes gazed over the writing.

_Dear Kalypso,_

_Sorry I couldn't be here, but I was called in to take care of some business concerning the king. Maybe we can try this again sometime._

_Later,_

_Kwaluigi_

Kalypso laughed. "Well, that figures." She placed her hand on her hip. "But that is a strange name, indeed. He must be from one of those northern islands."

---

Alboort sat in the back of the motorboat van. He looked around to see Waluigi driving and the rest of the gang sitting in the back. Ashley was reading, Red, Toadsworth, and the Koopalings were sleeping, and Funky Kong had hooked his surfboard to the back of the boat, so he could surf off the wakes the motorboat made.

Alboort pulled out his laptop and opened it. It shone in the fading light. He pulled up his cyber-journal and began typing.

_Well, this certainly has been exciting. It's not often you get to flood an island. The Kongs seem to have taken it well._

_It seems we'll need to work on the Koopalings' discipline. I admit, when we first started this business, I figured Waluigi would do whatever it took to get the gold. Thing is, it turns out he's more prideful than greedy, and he's not interested in letting anyone die on his account. Seeing how I'm not all that great in the field, he might want me to stay out of trouble myself._

_Anyways, I better get to work. That vault isn't going to open itself._

_Until next time._

_Mission complete,_

_signed,_

_-Waluigi_

_-Alboort_

_-Ashley and Red_

_-Toadsworth_

_-The Koopalings_

---

Okay, I realize that, as far as a need for Nintendo love goes, I should have picked Candy Kong. There are two reasons that I couldn't, though. One, she would have been a seductress character, and Wendy O'Koopa already takes care of that. Team Waluigi couldn't use her. Two, if Waluigi so much as talked to Candy, Donkey Kong probably would have jumped out of nowhere and knocked Waluigi's lights out, GAME OVER floating over the poor thief's head.

Swanky Kong would have also been a good pick for Team Waluigi, but Toadsworth would probably need to go back to Princess Peach first. Swanky might have more muscle, but he'd probably play all but the exact same as Toadsworth.

Funky Kong, on the other hand, definitely needs some live. Sure, he's made plenty of appearances, but he was always standing in DK's shadow. Diddy at least got to be DK's partner in adventure, but Funky always had to be DK's go-to boy. Funky is physically stronger than Donkey, and he has unique abilities. He needs to stand in the spotlight for a while.

Now, as far as the boss battle goes, I decided the use the two characters who specialize in condition-inflicting. This is mostly due to the fact that Toadsworth, despite being an awesome old guy, is simply too small to fight off some like King K. Rool. Wendy probably wouldn't usually fight unless it was Mario or she absolutely had to. Besides, I like the idea of Toadsworth thinking he needs to protect the Koopa Kingdom Princess like the Mushroom Kingdom Princess. It just is sort of how serious he is about his job.

Anyways, please enjoy and get ready for the next chapter. Reviews would be really nice to know how I'm doing so far.


	37. Chapter 5 part 0

Chapter 5.0: Time to Shake It Up!

Alboort sat in his seat at the Mario Baseball tournament. Also in the row were Ashley, Red, Toadsworth, Wendy, Iggy, Ludwig, Roy, and Funky Kong. Funky and Roy were chomping down peanuts and popcorn. Iggy and Ludwig were preforming baseball algorithmic calculations. Wendy was sitting idly, blowing and popping her bubblegum repetitively. Red and Toadsworth were jumping near the rails, rooting on the Peach Monarchs. Ashley was quietly examining one of her many spellbooks.

After looking down the row, Alboort nodded and flipped open his laptop. He clicked on his cyber-journal icon and started typing.

_Things have been going well, but ever since that close call in Donkey Kong Country, the gang decided to lay low for a while. _

_Of course, a while to Waluigi means about an hour. He suggested that our team join the current baseball tournament. We've played pretty strong during our first game, but our team seems to be getting a little heady. I admit, I think it's a nice opportunity for the gang to unwind, but I've never been much of a sports man. The team seems to think we'll make the top of the heap th-_

Alboort paused as he noticed the bottom of his screen flashing. He clicked on his e-mail icon, and a message came up with an icon that looked like a fusion between a Christmas elf and a woodpecker at the top. He adjusted his glasses and started reading.

_Help! Please help!_

_Our queen, Merelda, has been kidnapped by the Shake King! He said he was taking her to some sort of Pirate-Palooza on his ship! Oh, this is terrible! Please, Team Waluigi! We need help!!!!!_

Alboort blinked a couple times. "My, what a brief message." He scratched his head a bit. "However, saving a queen and looting from a king should be profitable. Hey, Wal-" He turned to the seat beside him to see it was empty. He turned to Ashley. "Pardon me, Ashley, but where's Waluigi?"

Ashley shrugged. "He said he was going down to the see Wario or something." She stuck her nose deeper into her book. "Let's see. For a homerun potion, would that be one baseball in the brew for the game or for each hit?"

Alboort jumped up, nearly dropping his laptop. "Wario!?"

Ashley looked up blandly at the Boo. "Yeah. I don't know why, but he decided to go down to the captains' lounge to see if he could find the fat guy."

Alboort hopped out of his chair. "Thank you." He floated away quickly.

It wasn't long until Alboort found the captain's lounge. Finding it unlocked, he burst into the room.

Waluigi and Wario were laughing over a couple cans of soda.

Wario grabbed his gut as he almost fell out of his chair. "So that's why the big ape hasn't made it to the competition." He sat up and quieted his laughter. "Too bad. He's one of the few opponents worth going against."

Waluigi snickered. "Yeah, I know. It's ridiculous, but it's true."

Wario belched. "Is it also true that you guys beat Bowser? Everyone's talking about it."

Waluigi nodded. "You bet, Fatlard. Wasn't that hard either."

Alboort approached the two. "Um, not to be a bother, but what's going on?"

Waluigi and Wario turned to see the Boo. The purple-clad man pointed at the yellow-clad one. "Well, it turns out that Fatlard here was a little smarter thanwhe thought."  
"The Beanpole's right." Wario gave a satisfied smile. "I admit that I don't trust much anybody, but I was smart enough to get some insurance for my company." He spun around in his chair, laughing. "And thanks to you guys robbing me, not only am I richer than before, I got a new and improved security system for free and a chance to sue the Diamond City Police Department."

Alboort swallowed lightly. "Well, so does that mean that you aren't going to attack us?"

Waluigi laughed heinously. "Please, me and the Fatlard get into a lot of arguments, but let's face it, we have short tempers."

Wario nodded. "I might attack the Beanpole one minute, then it's all party after the outrage."

Alboort swallowed again and adjusted his glasses. "Well, I'm glad to hear that." He turned to Waluigi. "Speaking of parties, we've been invited to another one, and we need to go to it, now!"

Waluigi held his chin. "Party? Whose party?"

Alboort opened up his laptop and showed the message to the two dastardly men.

Wario grinned. "Shake King, huh?" He turned to Waluigi. "Well, after beating me, you better pop that guy a fair one in the chin for me, because I'm going to kill you if you lose."

Waluigi stood up. "You better smack the Green Bean in the nose with a baseball for me, then. It sounds like I'm out of here!" Her walked towards the door.

Wario laughed. "Just watch out for Captain Syrup on your way there. She's a wily one, and wouldn't give a second thought to robbing you blind."

Alboort and Waluigi waved back at the fat plumber and walked out of the lounge.

---

Okay, again, I realize Waluigi is a Mario World character. However, he is associated to Wario, so Wario's worlds should be fair game for a Waluigi game. Besides, Wario characters need more attention.

Shake King also kind of continues the chain of stealing from evil kings, giving Waluigi a sort of twisted Robin Hood image. Instead of "Steal from the rich, and give to the poor", it's "Steal from the rich and give to me."

Also, I realize that Merelda and Shake King are from the Shake Dimension, but let's not make things complicated. Okay?

Anyways, enjoy and review.


	38. Chapter 5 part 1

Chapter 5.1: Pirate Pictures

Roy leaned back in his chair. "By the stars! I am glad to be off that island."

Iggy nodded and pushed his glasses up his face. "People already think I'm nuts. If I had to listen to those Merfles one more minute, there wouldn't be any doubts about it."

Waluigi turned around in his seat and shook his fist. "Would you guys shut up! I'm not used to driving a boat."

Ashley turned around in her seat. "I just want you guys to shut up, period."

Alboort tapped a couple times on his laptop. "Looks like we're on course for the ship. Just turn slightly to the left, Waluigi."

Waluigi turned the steering wheel. "By the way, Alboort, how are we gonna get on a pirate ship? I mean, it'd be one thing if it was just you, me, Ashley, and Toadsworth, but these guys aren't the type to sneak onto a ship."

Wendy folded her arms and glared at Waluigi. "Are you insinuating that I'm fat!?"

Waluigi waved one arm in the air. "No, I'm insinuating that you guys won't shut up for more than ten minutes at a time unless your asleep, and whispering doesn't seem to be part of your vocabulary."

Roy chuckled. "Good thing you guys didn't bring Morton. Even when he's asleep, he talks at a speed of a hundred words a minute."

Alboort adjusted his glasses. "Well, I took the liberty to get the gang's measurements, and I used those to get pirate costumes for all of us." He got up from his seat and floated over to the a trap door in the middle of the motorboat's deck. He flipped it open and jumped down. A few minutes later, he hopped out of the trapdoor, a bandanna on his head and a belt instead of a bowtie. "All costumes should be labeled, and you may change beneath the deck."

"Ooh! Ooh! Me next!" Wendy ran over and jumped down.

---

A massive pirate galleon sat in the middle of the ocean. A Red Bandinero was making his rounds, when a hook latched itself on the railing.

The Red Bandinero jumped. "Who goes there?"

Waluigi pulled himself up, the hook replacing his left hand. He wore a purple, very formal captain's outfit with a gold plume hanging off his hat. "Team Waluigi. That's who's here!"

The Red Bandinero raised an eyebrow. "Team Waluigi?"

A hooked ladder clung behind Waluigi, and Ashley and Funky Kong climbed up.

The Red Bandinero pulled out a clipboard. "Um, you don't seem to be on the list."

Waluigi stabbed his hook through the clipboard and threw it over his shoulder, letting in fly over Alboort's head and into the seat. "First off, we are world renowned thieves and pirates, so we should have been on the list. Second, this is Pirate-Palooza! We don't need to be on any stinking list."

The Red Bandinero blinked a couple times. "Well, I suppose that's a good point." He watched as Alboort, Toadsworth, and Ludwig climbed up the ladder. "I think we still have enough lodging for you. And I repeat, I think." He turned around and walked down the deck.

Alboort floated up beside Waluigi. "That was pretty quick thinking."

Waluigi leaned over to Alboort. "Thinking had nothing to do with it. Nobody tells me no."

"Well, then, you'll be glad to hear that you'll get your tour of the ship today."

Waluigi placed a hand on his head. "I know. Reconnaissance."

---

Waluigi stepped out of a cabin door. He pulled out his Thieftech and flipped it open. "So, Alboort, do you think there's any threat from guards here?"

"Well, as long as you keep your pirate clothes on, there shouldn't be any real problems." Alboort tapped several keys. "However, it might be best to avoid most most. They might get suspicious with how late you're out."

Waluigi nodded. "Okay, so avoiding guards is good, but it's not exactly necessary." He looked down the hall both ways. "It's not like these guys looks that tough either."

Alboort adjusted his glasses. "Nope. Bandineros are pretty much harmless, so let's talk about what's necessary." He clicked on his mouse and examined the computer screen. "Now, in order to save Queen Merelda, we're going to need to look at what we're up against."

Waluigi smirked. "What? Is that satellite of yours not working? Don't you already know what we're up against?"

Alboort frowned. "You know what I mean!"

Waluigi snickered. "Okay. So where do I go first?"

Alboort tapped several keys. "Well, it might sound strange, but I need you to go down a deck."

Waluigi took hold of his chin and raised an eyebrow. "But the first floor is on the first basement deck. Why do you want me to go down to the third?"

"It's important." Alboort pushed up his glasses. "After you go down the stairs, you need to find the kitchen."

"And let me guess, going down there is a big no-no, so I'm going to have to take out any guards on my way."

Alboort pushed his glasses up. "Exactly. I tried finding a way to drop straight down into the kitchen, but there isn't a single window or opening besides the front door."

Waluigi sighed. "I'll make my way down." He flipped his Theiftech shut and pocketed it. He walked around until he found some wooden stairs down. He strutted his way down the stairs. "Stupid costume. It's too sweaty to run in this."

As Waluigi walked onto the next floor, he looked around. He saw a Bandinero to his right. He snuck up behind it, kicked it up in the air, and slammed it into the deck. He walked on until he saw a door with a golden fork and knife crossing it. He opened it up and walked inside.

As Waluigi entered the kitchen, he pulled out his Thieftech. "Okay, Alboort, what am I looking for?"

Alboort frowned and leaned on the desk. "Have you even looked around?"

Waluigi looked around and jumped. He pulled up his Thieftech and snapped a picture. "What the heck is that thing?"

"That would be Large Fry." Alboort tapped several keys. "Not only is he Shake King's chef, he's his right-hand man."

Waluigi raised an eyebrow. "Right-hand man? It's a fish! A giant, flying fish in a stew pot."

"Don't be fooled. Large Fry may look harmless, but his weight can smash most people into a puddle." Alboort clicked on his mouse a couple times. "On top of that, his stomach is as powerful as Wario's, so get out of there before he decides you would make a decent snack."

Waluigi raised an eyebrow. He placed the Thieftech over his eye and ear and jumped out of the door. "Okay. So, besides flying shark stew, what else do you want a picture of?"

Alboort tapped several keys. "Well, the ballroom is important, so make your way up there."

Waluigi nodded and walked down the hall. "Snitching party favors. Now, that's more like it." He walked up the stairs and walked down to the next flight.

After Waluigi arrived on the next deck higher, he walked towards a large set of gold-embroidered double doors. He flung them open and walked in. He looked around. "Wow. This place is packed."

Alboort nodded. "Now, it might take a bit of hunting, but I need you to take a picture of Shake King, Queen Merelda, and Captain Syrup."

Waluigi nodded. "Well, it might take a few minutes to recognize them, but it shouldn't be that hard." He pressed to button to take Alboort off the screen and walked into the crowds. He stopped and turned his Thieftech back on. He looked around and zoomed in on a purple-clad woman who was chatting with a bipedal bull. When he got a good full-length image, he snapped the shot.

Alboort appeared on the screen "That would be Captain Syrup."

Waluigi nodded. "I know about her. Wario used to rant about his adventures where he butt heads with her."

Alboort nodded as he tapped a few keys. "Captain Syrup is an expert in stealth, greed, mechanics, and piracy. She's probably the smartest person to ride the seas, and Wario's brute strength is very likely the only reason he's been able to beat her."

Waluigi curled his false hook on one end of his mustache. "So, is she someone to watch out for?"

Alboort rubbed his chin. "Well, she's smart enough to be a threat." He adjusted his glasses. "But she may prove useful just as easily."

"I'll let you think that one over. I might be number one, but I'm not willing to risk everything like Wario." Waluigi turned his Thieftech off and walked deeper into the ballroom. He walked around the massive dance floor and paused. He looked around until he saw a pair of large, gold chairs beneath a highly decorated pair of flags. He turned on his Thieftech and took a picture.

Alboort reappeared in the screen. "So this is the Shake King, scourge of the seas and the Shake Dimension."

Waluigi raised an eyebrow. "He looks more like a fat viking than a pirate." He held his chin. "He's not much of a looker, either."

Alboort tapped several keys. "Well, looks aren't everything. Don't underestimate him. He can control lightning with a snap of his fingers."

Waluigi grimaced. "I've been hit by several bolts of lightning before. It wasn't too bad, but I'm not saying I like it."

"Then how about we avoid him for now." Alboort stared intently at his computer screen. "Now, do you see Queen Merelda?"

Waluigi looked around. "She's in green clothes, right?"

Alboort nodded.

Waluigi frowned. "Not a single speck of green in here."

Alboort returned the frown. "Well, that's annoying." He took a deep breath. "Well, that should be it for now."

Waluigi raised an eyebrow. "That's it? No running topside to get some pictures of birds? No other guests of interest?"

Alboort tapped his chin. "Well, I can tell that there are some cannons on the edges of the ship, but there's nothing that really comes to mind." He huffed. "I still can't believe that Queen Merelda isn't there."

Waluigi shrugged. "Do you want me to go looking for her?"

Alboort shook his head. "If you haven't noticed, a better part of the guests are making there way back to their rooms. It's almost curfew, and some of the more violent guards are certain to come take the night shift."

Waluigi stretched up an arm before pulling his Thieftech off his face. "Okay. I'm coming back to bed, then." He shut the Thieftech and walked out of the ballroom.

_Mission complete,_

_signed,_

_-Waluigi_

---

Well, whereas the last two levels were based more on beating the snot out of characters, this is going to be more skill-based for most of the missions. There will still be a mini-boss, and the big boss himself.

Now, I know I called Waluigi different names in previous costumes, but they were different species. I didn't think it was worth calling him captain or pirate, when he's still human. It's not like I'm going to have him take off his pirate costume at any time.

Just stay tuned, and please enjoy and review.


	39. Chapter 5 part 2

Chapter 5.2: Find the Queen

Team Waluigi sat in one of the cabins, all crowded together.

Wendy pushed against two of her brothers. "You know, these pirates gave us more than one cabin for a reason."

Alboort adjusted the projector on the desk. "I realize this, Wendy, but we don't get the luxury of multiple computer servers on this ship." He shut the top of the projector and floated up to the front, button in hand.

Wendy crossed her arms and huffed. "I still don't like this."

Alboort turned around and held his hands up. "Well, if you would quit complaining, I can get the slideshow finished, and you can leave."

Waluigi spun his hand in the air. "So what brilliant plan did you come up with last night?"

Alboort laughed nervously. "Yes, well, about that." He swallowed and clicked the button, bringing up the picture of the Shake King. "As far as my calculations go, we can't do a single thing to get Queen Merelda out of here."

The Koopalings all jumped up. "What do you mean you don't have anything planned!"

Alboort held his hands up defensively. "Now, I didn't say that I don't have a plan." He smacked the picture of Shake King. "What I'm saying is that we need to find out where the Shake King has hidden the queen before we can even think about doing anything about her."

Roy chuckled and pumped his arms. "Leave it to me. I'll tear this whole ship apart to find her!" He laughed even louder.

Alboort cringed. "I'm really glad that the Shake King never leaves the ballroom, or you might have just given us away." He adjusted his glasses and shook his head. "Besides, we can't have you tearing up the ship as of yet." He looked up and waved his arms around. "Honestly! Not only would you attract the attention of the Shake King himself, but you could destroy the very structural integrity of the ship itself. And we are not ready for the ship to cave in on top of us."

Roy sat down, grumbling.

Alboort nodded. "Now, I'd rather have someone with the experience find the queen." He turned to Toadsworth.

Toadsworth nodded. "I will try my best, Master Alboort."

Alboort smiled. "That's all we'll need." He turned back to the screen. "Now, the Shake King is sure to keep an eye on Queen Merelda, even if she is hidden." He fiddled with the button. "Now, it's not like we necessarily need to get this done in a day. Pirate-Palooza still has several days to it."

Red jumped up and down. "Yay! So we get to enjoy the party?"

Ashley placed a hand on Red's head. "Not to be the killjoy that I am, but I don't think our stay is going to be all fun and games."

Waluigi rubbed Ashley's head. "Oh, is someone upset because they still have schoolwork to take care of?"

Alboort adjusted his glasses. "Actually, Ashley's right. We need a couple of eyes on the inside to make sure that the Shake King doesn't get too suspicious." He stared at Waluigi. "For example, he might get a little too curious if none of us enjoy the dance floor."

Ludwig scoffed. "I vent in there not that long ago." He clapped his hands against both sides of his head. "That music is horrible. Really. The might be pirates, but that doesn't mean they can't have a little bit of class."

Alboort smiled. "So maybe you wouldn't ind taking his place."

Ludwig grinned. "That I vould not mind. That idiot couldn't tell the difference between a G flat and an B sharp."

Alboort nodded. "So let's get things started. We may have a few days, but we don't have all time."

---

Toadsworth walked out of his cabin and pulled out his Thieftech. "I say, Master Alboort, I do want to help you find Queen Merelda, but if what you told Waluigi is true, then I doubt I can just walk around without raising suspicion amongst the Bandineros."

"I know." Alboort adjusted his glasses. "I was able to get you a costume, but I'm afraid there wasn't enough time to color it properly."

Toadsworth pulled on his mustache. "So I should really make a bang-up job at imitating these brigands, is that it?"

"That's true. I'm not going to deny it, but you shouldn't stick out too bad." Alboort tapped several keys. "Now, I have no specific idea as to where Queen Merelda is being kept, so you should probably find a guard on this deck."

Toadsworth nodded. "Very well, I'll call you once I have located the queen." He pulled his Thieftech shut and placed it in his vest pocket. He reached into his pack and pulled out a White Bandinero costume. He looked both ways, checking the coast was clear, before putting it on.

Bandinero Toadsworth walked down the hall. It took a little more than a minute, but he soon found his first red Bandinero.

The Red Bandinero jumped. "Halt! Who goes there!"

Bandinero Toadsworth jumped. "Well, I must say..." He cleared his throat. "Arr! I be looking for the Queen Merelda. The Shake King told me to make sure she wasn't making any trouble."

The Red Bandinero eyed the fake Bandinero. "I don't know. I haven't been seeing any of you white dogs on your feet. How should I know that ye have the King's clearance."

Bandinero Toadsworth nodded. "Well, there should be a password that you've been left in charge of."

The Red Bandinero's eye grew wider. "Aye. That be true. And only the likes of those allowed to go see the queen are going to know it. I certainly never heard of it before."

Bandinero Toadsworth nodded. "Yeah. It be a weird be a weird one. That's fer sure." He cleared his throat. "So maybe the likes of ye would be willing to give the likes of me a hint."

The Red Bandinero nodded. "It couldn't hurt nothing. The clue itself isn't very specific. Seems that this strange guy treats battles as little more than a game. Rather foolish if you ask me."

"Very foolish indeed." Bandinero Toadsworth lowered his head in thought._ Let's see a guy who treats battle as a game. Well, I believe that Wario has mentioned quire a variety of strange creatures from his adventures. The question is which creature preferred games. Was it Ball Bunny, Hot Roderick, or Rudy the Clown?_

The Red Bandinero raised his already high eyebrow. "Look, Whitey, I'm losing my patience."

"Just tether your sails a moment!" Bandinero Toadsworth looked up. _Let's see. If I recall correctly, Wario didn't think Rudy was all that funny, and I suppose racing isn't exactly a game. _"It's Ball Bunny."

The Red Bandinero blinked, letting his eyes return to normal. "Well, I'm not going to hold it against ye." He did a motion similar to the shrug. "Heck! I don't even know what a bunny is."

Bandinero Toadsworth cleared his throat. "Aye. A strange password indeed. Now, matey, if you don't mind, where's the queen?"

"Aye." The Red Bandinero turned around. "Last I heard, the queen was being held a deck down. Seems the Shake King isn't ready for the guests to see her."

"Aye. I'll just be going down, then." Bandinero Toadsworth walked past the Red Bandinero. When the pirate was out of sight, he coughed. "By my father's marmalade! That pirate voice certainly does a number on your throat."

When Bandinero Toadsworth walked up to the descending stairs, he turned and went down. When he reached the bottom, he looked both ways and turned right. "My, it certainly is dark down here." He walked on.

Soon, Bandinero Toadsworth heard a thumping coming down the hall. He leaned up against the wall.

A Yellow Bandinero jumped down the hall. He skidded to a halt and turned to Bandinero Toadsworth. "Arr! What be ye doing down here?"

Bandinero Toadsworth jumped up and walked over to the Yellow Bandinero. "I'm supposed to be looking for Queen Merelda. The King sent me to make sure the wench isn't making any trouble."

The Yellow Bandinero looked around. "Strange. Not likely that the king would send a white dog down here." He inched towards the fake Bandinero. "Looked like ye were just about to fall asleep right now."

Bandinero Toadsworth shook his head. "Well, if that's how yer feeling, why don't ye quiz me about the password?"

The Yellow Bandinero nodded. "Probably the quickest way to see that ye belong down here." He sighed. "Let's see if I can remember the password." He hummed for a moment. "Arr! That be it. Who be the thief that inspired the blubbery land lubber known as Wario?"

"Well, that shouldn't be too hard." Bandinero Toadsworth frowned in thought. _Let's see. A thief? Well, I remember hearing about quite a few thieves. Who could have been an inspiration of Wario? The first few thieves that come to mind are Waluigi, Captain Syrup, and Count Cannoli. But who could it be?_ He breathed deeply._ Well, Waluigi might be a high-quality thief, but I can't say he's quite inspired Wario._

The Yellow Bandinero sighed. "Look, if yer going to just fall asleep, then leave me alone to go on with me patrol." He started to turn.

Bandinero Toadsworth's eyes widened. "Yar! Ye could learn a bit of patience!" _But really, I don't think that Captain Syrup has ever been quite been an inspiration to Wario._ "The answer must be Count Cannoli."

"Well, that's the password, and it's not likely ye heard it anywhere else." The Yellow Bandinero turned and began walking. "Follow me. I know where the cell is."

Bandinero Toadsworth followed the real Bandinero. They rounded a couple of corners in the maze-like belly of the ship.

Not long after the game of follow the leader started, they came across a surprisingly lighted up part of the hull.

The Gold Bandinero standing in front of the door ran up to the two. "Halt! No lubber is allowed to go down this hall!"

The Yellow Bandinero gestured back at Bandinero Toadsworth. "This lubber says he's been sent down by the king."

The Gold Bandinero raised an eyebrow. "Since when do white dogs actually listen."

The Yellow Bandinero gestured with a shrug attempt. "Don't ask me. I better get back to me patrol." He walked away.

The Gold Bandinero eyed Bandinero Toadsworth. "So, the Shake King sent ye, did he?" He chuckled. "Well, do ye happen to know the secret password? Nobody gets to see Queen Merelda without the secret password."

Bandinero Toadsworth cleared his throat. "Well, do ye happen to have a clue for the password? I'm afraid me memory ain't the best."

The Gold Bandinero snorted. "I should have expected that from a white." He started grumbling beneath his breath as he looked up at the ceiling. "Well, this password is the name of one of Wario's most treasured enemies."

_Most treasured enemies?_ Bandinero Toadsworth scowled. _My, that must be a pun. Let's see, I can think of three enemies that would fit the case. Who could it be: Tiaramisu, the Black Jewel, or the Gold Diva? Well, now that I think about it, the Gold Diva and Tiaramisu never much interested Wario_.

The Gold Bandinero snorted. "Ye got an answer? Or should I make ye walk the plank?"

Bandinero Toadsworth huffed. "Arr! Ye don't need to be hasty, matey. The answer is obviously the back jewel."

The Gold Bandinero nodded. "Now that's more like it." He turned and walked down the hall. "Ye want to check on the queen? Fine! She's right down here."

Bandinero Toadsworth walked down after the Gold Bandinero. We walked up to a door with several padlocks on it. "My, seems like a fierce place to keep the wench."

The Gold Bandinero scoffed. "It's nicer on the inside. You can take a look for yourself."

Bandinero Toadsworth walked up to the door and hopped onto a barrel. He looked inside a small window to see a room heavily decorated with gold and green silk. He looked around until he saw the woman in a green dress sitting on the bed.

Bandinero Toadsworth looked down at the locks. "Heavens! You have the wench locked up well enough."

The Gold Bandinero nodded. "Aye. Five titanium locks and an indestructible door. She ain't going anywhere."

Bandinero Toadsworth hopped down from the barrel. "Well, I'll just go tell the Shake King that everything is being all right." He walked down the hall.

After Bandinero Toadsworth rounded a corner, he took off his costume and pulled out his Thieftech. "I say, Master Alboort, I have no idea how we're going to get the queen out. She's under all forms of protection."

Alboort pushed up his glasses. "Well, at least you found her. Just come back to the cabin, and you can tell me more."

Toadsworth nodded. He put his Thieftech away, put on his costume, and walked back towards the stairs.

_Mission complete,_

_signed,_

_-Toadsworth_

---

Okay, like the questions in Bowser's temple pretty much revolved around Mario villains, these passwords revolved around Wario villains.

Um, yeah, I thought Toadsworth was the best choice for this due to his shortness and his association with royalty.

I would have liked to have more questions, but the ship wasn't as big as the castle.

I don't exactly have any funny comments to make a bout this one.

Please enjoy and review.


	40. Chapter 5 part 3

Chapter 5.3: Waluigi Waltz

Waluigi walked out of his cabin, clad in his formal pirate wear. He pulled out his Thieftech and flipped it open. "Okay, Alboort, what do you want me to do?  
Alboort tapped several keys. "Isn't it obvious? I want you to enjoy the party."

Waluigi raised an eyebrow. "Normally, I would take you up on that offer in a second, but I we are trying to save a queen here."

Alboort sighed. "I know. I was being sarcastic." He tapped a few keys. "Look, just make your way up to the ballroom, and I'll give you further instruction there."

Waluigi nodded. He flipped his Thieftech shut and walked towards the ascending stairs.

After Waluigi stepped onto the first under deck, he walked over and pushed his way through the doors. He slid his way through the crowd until he got into a corner in the back. He pulled out his Thieftech and flipped it open. "Okay, Alboort, what now?"

Alboort frowned. "What are you doing in the corner?"

"Keeping a low profile."

Alboort palmed his face and shook his head. "You're Waluigi! Since when do you keep a low profile?"

Waluigi shrugged. "Hey, I just don't want to get caught by the Shake King."

Alboort clicked on his mouse. "Actually, we want you to get caught by the Shake King."

Waluigi raised an eyebrow. "Okay. You do remember that we're thieves, right?"

Alboort adjusted his glasses. "Okay, let me rephrase. I want you to catch him. Or, rather, I want you to catch his attention."

Waluigi raised the other eyebrow. "Did I miss something here?"

Alboort nodded sagely. "Just walk over to the dance floor, and I'll explain."

Waluigi walked to the edge of the dance floor. "Okay, now what do you want me to do?"

Alboort tapped several keys. "Well, if my research is correct, you once tried to take over the world with your dance moves."

Waluigi growled. "I should have won, too. Mario cheated. It's not far that a stupid biased Toad was always the judge!"

"And I completely agree with you, but that's not the point." Alboort leaned against his desk and adjusted his glasses. "Do you think your dance moves can hypnotize a room for about five minutes?"

Waluigi looked around and nodded. "Shouldn't be that hard. I'm not exactly the jig type."

"Well, this is supposed to be a formal party, as far as pirates go, so ballroom dancing should be more fit than a jig." He clicked on his mouse. "Besides, if my plans go right, you should be getting a bit of help in catching the crowd's attention."

Waluigi raised an eyebrow. "You mean a dance partner?"

"Pretty much." Alboort tapped a couple keys. "Like, let's say, Captain Syrup."

Waluigi gave out a low whistle. "Well, she definitely is the head turner."

Alboort nodded. "Of course, someone like her isn't easily impressed. You'll need to dance with someone else to catch her attention."

Waluigi held his chin. "Someone else? Like who?"

"Ahem."

Waluigi looked down to see Ashley in a red and black dress. She also wore a skull belt and earrings.

"I'll call you back." Waluigi flipped his Thieftech shut.

Ashley nodded curtly. "Alboort told me to meet you here." An almost invisible blush streaked across her face. "He said something about a dance."

Waluigi nodded. "Well, it sounds like a waltz is about to start." He held out his hook. "Just be glad this hand isn't leading."

Ashley took hold of Waluigi's hook and pulled him onto the dance floor. "I've seen your style of dancing before. You still need to learn the proper way to dance ballroom style."

Waluigi raised an eyebrow as he placed his other hand behind Ashley's back. "Like you know how to dance."

Ashley's blushed deepened. "Well, I always hoped someone would ask me to a dance, so I wanted to be ready."

"Wall flower, huh?"

Ashley's face was a bright shade of pink. "Not exactly."

Waluigi smiled and nodded. "Oh, I get it. You weren't asked to any of the dances, so you just didn't go."

Ashley's face was starting to tinge red. "Well, were you ever asked to any of your school dances?"

Waluigi snickered. "Actually, I was home-schooled. Never got the opportunity."

Ashley let her head drop. "Never would have guessed with your social skills."

Waluigi shrugged. "Well, I was always a twig, and mom was afraid I would get beat up by the other kids."

Ashley sighed. "I never had a mom. I was raised by an oversized spellbook."

Waluigi raised an eyebrow. "Well, I can't say much about that. I probably spent more time in the greenhouse than anywhere else. Made me wonder how scary kids would be if my mom didn't mind me spending all my time with carnivorous, deathly toxic, and explosive plants."

Ashley raised an eyebrow. "Right. I'm not going to ask, so let's just start dancing." She took the first step.

And thus the dance started. It was a simple waltz. It wasn't a complex dance, but things did speed up a little at times. Waluigi copied Ashley's steps exactly.

The Shake King leaned forward in his throne. He leaned over to a Buccanero standing beside him. "Now that there be what I call a graceful fellow."

The Buccanero nodded. "He be a pretty snappy as well."

The Shake King nodded slowly. "Do ye happen to have any idea who he be?"

The Buccanero began to sweat as he shook his head. "I've never seen him before."

The Shake King settled in his chair. "Just keep a look out fer him. He might not make a half bad addition to our crew."

Back to the dancing pair, the dance had progressed from a waltz to a startling samba. The music made it difficult to tell, but Ashley did her best to lead as Waluigi started sweeping her off her feet.

As the music faded out, Waluigi dipped Ashley low.

Ashley stood up and turned away. "Thanks. That was... nice." A hidden smile appeared on her face.

"I'll say that was nice."

Waluigi and Ashley turned to see a woman in purple clothes and a skull belt.

Waluigi bowed, pulling his hat off his head with his hook. "Captain Syrup."

Captain Syrup laughed. She pointed at Waluigi as he stood up. "Please, with those dance moves, you can call me Maple."

Waluigi placed his visible hand on Ashley's shoulder. "Yeah. We make a good team."

Captain Syrup smiled as she kneeled to come eye to eye with Ashley. "Well, you don't mind if I borrow him, do you?"

Ashley's face turned light red, and she turned away. "I don't care."

Captain Syrup stood up and turned to Waluigi. "So what do you think, Captain Grape Juice? You think you're good enough to dance with me?"

Waluigi used his hook to fish a rose out of his dress jacket's pocket and handed it to Captain Syrup. "Perhaps I could get a rain check?"

Captain Syrup took the rose and smiled slyly. "For now."

Waluigi turned and walked towards the door, Ashley having taken the lead. As he approached the door, he grabbed onto Ashley's shoulder firmly and turned her around. "Hold on a minute." He pulled out another rose.

Ashley's eyes widened. "What's with that?"

Waluigi placed the rose in Ashley's hair. "A thanks. You really know how to dance."

Ashley's face grew almost as red as her dress.

Waluigi walked past the young witch. "Come on. I have no idea what Alboort's exact plan for this was."

_Mission complete,_

_signed,_

_-Waluigi_

---

OK. If people haven't caught on, I am trying to promote Waluigi and Ashley. Well, at least, I'm saying that Ashley has a crush on Waluigi. This is due to Ashley being the female character most associated with Waluigi, aside from Daisy (who shows up in all the same games as Waluigi) and Rosalina (a very popular fan pairing).

I personally think the pairing is cute, but I like all Waluigi pairings. In this game, though, only two are going to be heavily promoted. Waluigi and Ashley. As for the other? Well, let's just say that Queen Merelda isn't going to be the next new ally.

By the way. I'm not saying that anything in this chapter was canon. It was just a bit of background. Nintendo isn't exactly the best at background for non-mainstream characters.

Please enjoy and review.


	41. Chapter 5 part 4

Chapter 5.4: Musical Mishmash

Ludwig stepped out of his cabin, dressed in his finest tux. He pulled out a black and white Thieftech. "Vell, how do I look?"

Iggy pushed up his glasses and laughed. "Are you joking?"

Ludwig raised an eyebrow. "And just vut is so, as I believe it is called, funny?"

Iggy leaned forward. "Look, we're on a pirate ship. You look like you're dressed as a funeral organist."

Ludwig huffed. "Valuvigi got to dress nicely, so vy can't I?"

"I didn't say you had to wear bad clothes, but you don't look like a pirate." Iggy waved his hand back and forth. "Ah, forget it. Look, this isn't exactly the hardest job to do. Just head up to the ballroom, and I'll tell you there."

Ludwig sighed. "Fine." He flipped his Thieftech shut and placed it in his tux jacket pocket. He walked up the hall with a significant strut. He hardly even bent his knees. He walked up the stairs with little thought, keeping his eyes closed and his head raised.

As Ludwig approached the ballroom, he pulled out his Thieftech. "So you vant me to go in and just play the piano. That is right, yes?"

Iggy nodded. "Wendy and Roy already took out the previous pianist. All you need to do is go in and play."

Ludwig nodded. He strutted his way through the crowded ballroom. "Pardon! Excuse me! Master musician coming through."

When Ludwig approached the piano, he sat down on the stool and turned to the machine.

Iggy opened up his notebook. "Now, after living with you for as long as I have, I've recorded that you have mastered the ability to play more than 134 instruments."

Ludwig smiled and nodded. "Vich is exactly vy I do not need to listen to you anymore."

Iggy held up a stalling hand. "Now, hold on a minute. That's not just any piano you're playing." He pushed his glasses up. "This Shake King really likes his technology. That's an Orchestralia 9000."

Ludwig palmed his face. "Ach! Do no tell me that this instrument is some sort of electronically meddled machine."

Iggy grimaced. "Well, I'm not going to tell you that the Orchestralia 9000 isn't electronic, but it isn't necessarily a completely mechanical instrument. You should still be able to play it." He flipped almost to the back of his notebook. "You just need to watch the screen. When a note passes through the play bar, you need to press the corresponding button: A, B, C, or Z. Now, you need to time this correctly, or the note could sound horrible."  
Ludwig growled. "You know I vould never allow that!"

Iggy pushed his glasses up. "Well, you better start playing, Baron Von Ballad. The Shake King might get suspicious if the music isn't played correctly."

"Right." Ludwig shut the Thieftech and placed it in his pocket. He turned to the keyboard and cracked his fingers. "Let us get this party started."

Ludwig's fingers started to dance across the keyboard gracefully. He started out with a nice watlz. He played gracefully, each note hitting it's mark. He moved along with the music, letting himself be moved.

Soon, Ludwig moved onto a samba. The note's timing was inconsistent, but Ludwig kept up with it. His fingers span amongst each other as he played across the keyboard.

As his second song dwindled to an end, Ludwig smiled. "Now, let us kick this party, as they say, up a notch."

The clawed fingers began a mighty dance as he started to play something which sounded like a pop song. He flitted from one end of the keyboard to the other, keeping up with the fast tempo. He chuckled to himself as he played.

As the pop song came to a sudden stop, Ludwig turned in his seat and snapped his fingers. "Now that is how vun plays music."

The Koopa prodigy looked up to see the Shake King walking his way.

The nine-foot-tall man stepped heavily next to the piano-like device and looked down at the blue-haired Koopa. "Who the heck be ye?"

Ludwig stood up and bowed. "I am the great Ludvig Von Koopa, the greatest musician of all time."

The Shake King raised an eyebrow. "Ye ain't being the guy I hired."

A vein pulsed in Ludwig's temple. "Vut? Are you tone death? That fellow vouldn't have known music if it bit him on the nose. You should thank me for replacing him."

The Shake King grinned. "Truth be told, boy, I was about to beat the snot out of the fool meself." He chuckled. "Ye, however, happen to be quite the professional. Why don't ye sit down and keep playing? I can actually understand yer rhythm."

Ludwig smiled. "Allow me to get a drink to refresh myself, and I vould be none the happier to do so."

_Mission complete,_

_signed,_

_-The Koopalings_

_-Ludwig Von Koopa_

---

This does not play the same as Waluigi's dancing! This is more like Dance Dance Revolution or Donkey Konga.

I may use Ludwig Von Koopa again, but he's centered around his instruments. He's a musical expert. That's why I wanted him.

Pretty much, this is a quick way to learn how to play piano like an expert without a single lesson.

Please enjoy and review.


	42. Chapter 5 part 5

Chapter 5.5: Pocket Piracy

The next morning, Team Waluigi was gathered together in a cabin.

Wendy pushed against Roy and Iggy. "It's so cramped in here." She sat back and huffed. "Why doesn't Ludwig have to sit in here and suffer?"

"He's actually helping to keep our cover." Alboort set up the projector and turned it on. "And while he's busy, we need to get things set up for the big shindig tonight."

Red sat on the desk, nibbling a cookie. "Ah. Do we have to leave? They have pretty good food here."

Alboort pushed his glasses up. "Well, I admit this place is nice, but we have a job." He clicked the button, and the picture of the Shake King showed up. "Now, according to Toadsworth's findings, the Shake King is pretty serious about keeping Queen Merelda in lock down until he wants her out."

Toadsworth nodded. "I say, he has five locks on her door. All indestructible."

Alboort nodded. "Exactly. Now, I think that the Shake King might be planning to bring the queen out today. There's been a sudden uprise in Gold Bandineros, and I believe they are the most likely to be carrying the keys."

Waluigi grinned and snickered. "Don't you worry. I could grab all those keys with my eyes closed."

Alboort smiled. "I'm glad to hear that. But I would prefer that you did it with your eyes open." He tapped the screen. "We don't want any of the guards to warn the Shake King about our true intentions." He clicked the button, and Large Fry appeared on the screen. "Now, the guards are pretty much harmless, but this guy's pretty much a flying tank with a bad attitude."

Ashley shrugged and tilted her head to one side. "He doesn't look that hard to beat."

"Which is exactly why you'll be the one to take him on." Alboort pushed up his glasses. "The problem? This is only taking on the dangers that are inside the ship." He clicked a button, and the Shake King reappeared. "You have to realize that the Shake King, whether pirate or viking, loves his machinery and his power. He has cannons and a group of patrols to take care of trespassers."

Waluigi held his chin. "Well, I'm not sure if I can break cannons apart."

Ashley huffed. "I could just throw them off the ship."

Alboort shook his head. "You do realize that there would be a lot of guards to handle the cannons, right?"

Waluigi nodded. "I could smash them all while Ashley takes care of the cannons." He placed a hand on Ashley's head. "We didn't do half bad on the dance floor."

Ashley blushed at the comment.

Alboort shook his head. "I don't think you understand. What if even one of the guards gets out of the brawl?"

Waluigi frowned. "Right. I didn't think about that."

Roy chuckled and leaned forward. "Just let me take care of it. You can bet that noone survives my carnage."

Alboort pushed his glasses up. "I think all of you are forgetting something. How do you guys propose to get rid of the patrols on the water?"

Iggy nodded. "That is true." He turned to Roy. I've seen you climb up walls with your claws, but I've never seen you swim."

Wendy laughed. "Let's face it. You'd sink like the rocks that fill up your head."

Roy growled.

Alboort raised his hands. "Now, calm down. We do have someone here who specializes in work on the sea."

Waluigi jabbed Funky Kong in the ribs.

Funky Kong jumped from his nap. "Kiff? Kiff? I wasn't snoozing!"

Alboort palmed his face. He shook his head and looked up at the Kong. "Do you mind taking to the waves and taking care of some aquatic problems later?"

Funky Kong laughed and jumped up and down. "Dude, totally! I've been wanting to carve those swells like crazy."

Alboort pushed his glasses up. "Okay. Then let's get started. I'd like to be ready by early evening."

---

Waluigi stepped out of his cabin, dressed casually. He pulled out his Thieftech and flipped it open. "Say, Alboort, do you have any idea where these Gold Bandineros are?"

"No. I'm afraid I can't quite pinpoint those." Alboort tapped several keys. "It looks like you'll have to search around this floor and the floor directly beneath us for them."

Waluigi sighed.

Alboort clicked on his mouse. "By the way, I'm afraid the floors on the ship are too thin. You can't use your Earthquake Stomp on the Bandineros."

Waluigi took hold of his chin. "So I should use the Heel Slam technique or my Thorn Whip to get rid of the guards. Is that right?"

Alboort adjusted his glasses. "Well, there is one minor complication."

Waluigi frowned. "I hate complications."

"I know." Alboort clicked his mouse. "You see, the normal guys you can let spot you and attack before they decide to report you to the Shake King. However, you'll have to take the keys from the Gold Bandineros before you attack them. Otherwise, you'll end up breaking the keys."

Waluigi palmed his face and frowned. "How cheap can you get? Indestructible locks and fragile keys."

Alboort shrugged. "Hey, I'm not the captain of this ship."

"All right. I'll call you when I get all the keys." Waluigi flipped his Thieftech shut and stuck it in his pocket. He looked both ways before walking down the hall.

On his way, Waluigi Heel Slammed three Red Bandineros. He rounded the corner to see the back of a Gold Bandinero. He crept up behind it slowly until he was standing right behind it. He fished in its back pocket a few times, pulling out fists full of gold at a time, before he pulled out a small, steel key. He smiled before flipping the Bandinero over his head.

Waluigi patted his pocket of gold. "Sheesh! With as many coins as these guys carry, it's like their begging to be robbed." He ran down the hall.

It wasn't long until Waluigi saw another Gold Bandinero. The trouble was that it was heading his direction. He ran around the corner.

Waluigi stayed in his hidden position until the Gold Bandinero walked past him. He snuck up behind it and cleaned out its pocket, including another small key. After putting the key in his pocket, he took out his whip and beat the snot out of the Bandinero.

Waluigi spent the next little bit searching the rest of the floor. He found a few red Bandineros, but there were no gold ones to be found.

Waluigi frowned as he looked around. "I guess I'm going to have to go down to the next floor." He walked his way towards the stairs.

On the next deck down, Waluigi's eyes had to adjust to the sudden darkness. "How the neck am I supposed to find anyth-"

A bright glow caught Waluigi's eye. The thief jumped back up the stairs.

A Gold Bandinero walked past the stairs, not even giving a thought to looking up the stairs.

Waluigi walked up behind the Gold Bandinero and stuck his hand in its pocket. He pulled out a couple of handfuls of gold before pulling out another key. He pulled out his whip again and lashed at the Bandinero.

Waluigi walked on. "Well, it's nice to know that these guys glow in the dark. I have no idea how long it would have taken me, if I had to do this blindly."

He turned around the corner, and he saw another glow in the distance. He walked up behind the Bandinero, picker it clean, and Heel Slammed it.

"Well, I guess that leaves one more to go." Waluigi walked down the hall.

The black labyrinth left Waluigi to walk into a couple of walls. He walked and walked through the blackness.

Waluigi leaned on a wall. "What the heck! I've been across this entire floor!"

Suddenly, a glow turned its way around the corner.

"Uh-oh." Waluigi stepped backwards as the glow walked towards him. He had to round his way around a couple corners before the Gold Bandinero walked past his hall, but the rest went by in a flash.

Waluigi looked at the key and huffed. "I still think this Shake King guy is cheap." He stuck the key in his pocket and pulled out his Thieftech. "Okay, Alboort, I got the keys."

Alboort nodded. "Just bring them back to the room. We'll need you at your finest for tonight."

"All right." Waluigi gave a brief nod, pocketed his Thieftech, and ran his way back to the stairs.

_Mission complete,_

_signed,_

_-Waluigi_

---

I needed to use pickpocketing for more than one mission. It was too cool a move to give up on. Gold Bandineros make good targets for pickpocketing.

I really don't have any real fun comments for this.

Please enjoy and review.


	43. Chapter 5 part 6

Chapter 5.6: Large Fry's Cook-off

Ashley stepped out of her cabin. She pulled out her Thieftech. "Okay, Alboort. What am I looking for?"

Alboort tapped several keys. "Well, if my records are right, you'll need to go down one flight of stairs, and you'll find a door with a fork and knife on it."

"And that's it?" Ashley looked down at Red. "Then let's go."

Red jumped up. "Yeah. Let's go beat the bad guys!" He turned into a scepter and landed in Ashley's hand.

Alboort held his hands up. "Look. I realize you won't need me while you're walking down the halls, but I want you to call me when you get into the kitchen. Large Fry is nothing like you've faced before."

Ashley rolled her eyes. "Whatever." She flipped her Thieftech shut and stuck it in her pocket. She ran down the hall. On her way, she blasted a couple of Red Bandineros.

Ashley ran down the stairs and looked both ways. She took the hall with some sparse lanterns on it. She soon found the door with the fork and knife and opened it.

Inside, she looked up and around the massive kitchen. She pulled out her Thieftech and called Alboort. "Well, I have to admit that this kitchen is huge. It must go up all the way to the ballroom's floor."

Alboort tapped a few keys. "Look at the chef. That should explain why such a large kitchen is needed."

Ashley looked around until she saw Large Fry. She looked back at her Thieftech. "It's a fat fish in a pot. I admit that he's flying, but he's not exactly scary."

Alboort swallowed. "Never the less, keep me connected. I have some information which could really help."

Ashley sighed. "Fine." She placed her Thieftech over her eye and ear.

Red showed up in the scepter's crystal. "You know, Funky Kong isn't the only one who can attack from afar. Like him, we can use the control pad to aim our blasts up and down."

Ashley nodded, and Red disappeared. The witch raised her scepter high up in the air and looked up at the crooked chef. She shot a magic blast up in the air.

"Sacre Bleu!" Large Fry jumped from the impact. He quickly turned around and stared down at Ashley. He laughed. "Well, well. What have we here? Une petite éclair."

Ashley raised her scepter again. "You want to try it?"

Large Fry laughed. "Well, you are quite ze saucy little pastry. Such a pleasant little snack you will make. En garde!"

Alboort tapped keys furiously. "Listen, Ashley, you'll want to jump soon after Large Fry starts glowing purple. The shockwaves will knock you off your feet and vulnerable to attack."

Ashley watched as a purple aura clouded around Large Fry. As the massive fish dropped, she jumped into the air, letting the shockwaves roll harmlessly beneath her.

Two bags fell to either side of Large Fry as he rose up into the air. He chuckled as the bags squirmed.

"Laugh about this." Ashley raised her scepter and blasted Large Fry a couple times.

Alboort jumped in his seat. "No! Don't! You want to keep moving, if you don't want to get squashed!"

Ashley ran out of the way as Large Fry floated over to where she had been and dropped down, another two bags falling beside him.

Ashley sighed as her right eye stared at Alboort. "You're not telling me this guy is magicproof, are you?"

Alboort shook his head. "However, even your blasts won't do much. He has a magnificent amount of stamina and a thick hide that prevents most damage."

Ashley ran out of the way of Large Fry again. "I can run around and keep blasting him. You don't have top worry about me."

"I'm not worried about you! I'm worried about time!"

Ashley rolled her eyes. "Gee, you're quite the motivational speaker."

Alboort frowned. "This isn't a good time to joke around. We need you to beat up Large Fry as quickly as possible, and the fastest way is by opening those bags."

Ashley looked over at the freshly dropped bags. As Large Fry floated towards her, she ran over to the bags, blasting them open. Two Bandineros popped out of each."

Alboort nodded. "Now, just use the C button to grab one of the Bandineros and the control pad to aim. When you have the Bandinero aimed at Large Fry, use the A button to throw it at him while his mouth is open."

Ashley raised an eyebrow. "Okay, but I'm sure my magic blasts would do a lot more damage than these guys."

Alboort flung his arms in the air. "Just do it!"

Ashley sighed and rolled her eyes. She pointed her scepter at one of the stunned Bandineros and picked it up. She aimed it as Large Fry floated back up in the air and threw it at him.

Large Fry caught the Bandinero in his mouth and started chewing.

Ashley resisted the urge to gape. "He... ate... it?"

Alboort adjusted his glasses. "He just threatened to eat you. Exactly how surprising is it that he eats anything thrown at him?"

Large Fry finished chewing and swallowed. A couple seconds later, he spat out a bomb.

Alboort tapped several keys. "Now, if my research is correct, Large Fry should have just spat out a bomb."

Ashley stared at the bomb. "This is the weirdest fish I've ever seen."

"Hurry! Throw the bomb back up at Large Fry!"

Ashley rolled her eyes as she picked up the bomb. She hoisted it high in the air. "Oh, come on, you have to be kidding me." She chucked the bomb up.

Large Fry smiled as he swallowed the bomb.

This time, Ashley did gape. "Now, that is the most moronic thing I have ever seen someone do, and after working for Wario as long as I have, that's saying something."

Large Fry's eyes bugged out as he fell to the ground.

Alboort clicked on his mouse. "Hurry! Blast him while he's down. He should be paralyzed now, but he'll shake it off soon."

Ashley lashed her scepter back and forth, blasting the incapacitated Large Fry. When he finally woke up and started rising again, she turned and blasted away the remaining Bandineros.

Large Fry glared down at the young witch. He sucked in a large amount of air and spat out a pair of missiles.

Ashley raised an eyebrow. "Well, I wasn't expecting that." She stepped to the side of one missile and jumped over the other. She ran out of the way and jumped as Large Fry tried to drop on her.

Ashley turned and blasted one of the bags. She quickly grabbed one of the Bandineros and threw it up and Large Fry.

The demented chef swallowed the Bandinero, but nothing happened.

Ashley raised an eyebrow.

Alboort tapped a couple keys. "Calm down. After every bomb, you'll need to add an additional Bandinero before he'll spit out another bomb."

Ashley rolled her eyes. "I am calm, and I don't need you anymore." She switched the Thieftech off and stuck it in her pocket. She picked up another Bandinero and threw it up at Large Fry.

Like before, as soon as the Bandinero was swallowed, Large Fry spat out a massive bomb.

Ashley quickly ran over and tossed the bomb at Large Fry's mouth. As he chewed, she turned and blasted the remaining Bandineros. As soon as Large Fry hit the ground, she turned and started blasting him like crazy.

Large Fry soon shook off the bomb's effect and floated up. He sucked in air and spat out another pair of missiles at Ashley.

Ashley jumped over the first missile and guided past the second one. She waited until Large Fry dropped, jumping to avoid the shockwaves. She quickly threw Bandineros, one after the other, up at Large Fry. She had to throw one a couple times before it was accepted because she had hit the chewing face a couple times.

Once he had swallowed three Bandineros, Large Fry spat out another bomb. He chuckled as he flew towards Ashley.

Ashley jumped past the floating shadow. She picked up the bomb and threw it up at her enemy.

Large Fry opened his mouth and swallowed the bomb. He chewed as it exploded in his mouth. He landed on top of the last Bandinero, flailing in his fallen state.

Ashley shot blast after blast at the giant fish, forcing him to cringe in pain each time.

Large Fry shook his head and floated up again. He sucked up air and spat out three missiles.

Ashley jumped to the left of the first missile, she jumped over the second. And ran around the third. She circled towards the wall as a glowing Large Fry tried to drop on her. She turned around and blasted the bags open. She threw each Bandinero up, waiting for the psychotic chef to finish chewing before throwing the next one up.

Large Fry laughed after each Bandinero. He soon spat out a massive bomb.

Ashley flippantly picked the bomb up and threw it up at the fat fish.

Large Fry smiled as he swallowed the bomb. This time, though, instead of falling down after the explosion, his eyes grew wide and he started flying around the kitchen like a deflating balloon. A piece of paper fell out of his mouth.

Ashley grabbed the piece of paper. She stared at it a moment and pulled out her Thieftech. "Alboort, I think I found the safe combination."

Alboort nodded. "I should have expected the Shake King would have left it in the protection of Large Fry. Not many people would think about fighting Large Fry, let alone beat him up."

"Well, give me a minute, and I'll be right up." Ashley placed her Thieftech in her pocket and held out her hand.

The deflated Large Fry landed in the outstretched hand. He looked around. "Sacre Bleu! I am ze tiny one."

Ashley held Large Fry up to eye level. "Well, you'll be glad to know that you'll be living in a bottle in my pack from now on. A fish as rare as you should certainly be useful in potion."

Large Fry's eyes shrunk. "You lie!"

Red turned back to normal and landed on Ashley's shoulder. "Are you sure that's a good idea, Ashley?"

Ashley tucked the deflated fish in her pocket. "Well, I was thinking of turning him into a spoon, seeing how that's all that's missing from the door." She walked towards the door. "But the properties of his stomach acid seem a little too useful to waste."

_Mission complete,_

_signed,_

_-Ashley and Red_

---

Who did you think was going to take on Large Fry? Ashley is the butt kicker on the team, and she is the one with the skills to throw and fight Large Fry. It's also always funny to watch little girls beat up big monsters.

Also, Large Fry just seems like the type to have a French accent.

By the way, anybody recognize the title of this mission?

Please enjoy and review.


	44. Chapter 5 part 7

Chapter 5.7: Simian Sabotage

Funky Kong jumped out of his cabin, surfboard in hand. He pulled out a surfboard-shaped Thieftech and flipped it open. "Okay, dude, what's up?"

"Surf's up." Alboort tapped a couple keys. "Make your way up to the top deck and overboard."

"Killer!" Funky hopped onto his board and rode down the hall. He paddled up the stairs, through the next hall, and up the next flight of stairs. When he was on the top deck, he paddled over to the edge of the ship and jumped off.

Funky Kong landed on the sea's surface, using his board to guard himself from the splash. He stood on his surfboard and pulled out his Thieftech. "Okay, smart dude, why am I getting wet?"

Alboort tapped a couple keys. "Well, if you look overhead, you'll see that you're standing beneath one of the ship's cannons."

Funky Kong looked up. "So let me guess. You want me to use my Funky Bazooka to blast it and wipe it out, right?"

Alboort nodded. "There should be about six cannons on both sides of the ship. Remember to use the control to aim up at the cannon after using the 2 button to pull out your cannon."

Funky Kong pulled out his bazooka. "Dude, I know how my gear works." He patted the strange gun. "Just let me take care of everything. I'll have those cannons wreaked in no time."

Alboort clicked on his mouse. "Well, that's not all. In case of any outside threats, the Shake King has several of his guards acting as the Sea Patrol. You'll need to grab them off their ships and throw them into the water."

Funky Kong scratched his head. "Okay, dude, I think I can take out a few of these wannabes. How many are there?"

Alboort tapped several keys. "My records tell me that there are about ten."

Funky Kong nodded. "Now I'll just show these Barneys what a real Kahuna is like."

Alboort pushed up his glasses. "Don't forget to take out the cannons."  
Funky Kong laughed. "Don't worry, dude." He flipped his Thieftech shut and stuck it in his pocket. He paddled a little out from the ship.

When He had good aiming distance, Funky Kong turned around, pulled out his Funky Bazooka, and started blasting one of the cannons. It took several shots, but the cannon soon fizzled out. He moved on to the next cannon and blast it with mangoes.

Soon, the whir of motorboats zoomed across the water's surface.

Funky turned to see the oncoming Sea Patrol. "Oh, come on, dudes. You really are nothing but yuppies if you need those tin cans to ride the waves." He paddled quickly and rushed towards the nearest boat. He passed the boat's cannon and grabbed the Bandinero put of the boat. He turned to the open sea and threw the miniature pirate like a baseball.

Funky Kong clapped his hands together. "Right on! One pirate and two cannons down." He stuck his fingers up, counting. "So that's nine pirates and ten cannons to go."

A cannonball landed only inches away from the Kong.

Funky turned to see that the Bandineros were loading the cannons on their ships.

Funky paddled forward and turned around. "Okay dudes, that's just bogus." He swerved through the cannonballs until he got up to the nearest boat. He picked the Bandinero up and threw it into the side of the ship.

Funky swooped through the fleet of boats and headed towards the ship. He pulled out his bazooka and blasted a couple more cannons. He dodged away from the cannonballs' shadows until he could turn around and grab the oncoming Bandinero. He flung it high and blasted his fifth cannon before the other boats got to close.

"Dudes, you guys are seriously cramping my style." Funky Kong paddled forward and grabbed the nearest Bandinero. He threw it into the water and grabbed the next one. He made his way through another four and looked around. "Huh? Could have sworn the smart dude said there were ten yuppies. I only counted eight." He turned and blasted the sixth cannon. "Oh well. This side's wiped out." He started paddling. "Better take care of the other side."

On the other side of the ship, Funky Kong raised his Funky Bazooka and started blasting cannons, about five mangoes per cannon.

Suddenly, a huge cannonball blasted into the water mere inches away from the surfboard.

Funky slowly turned his way towards the sea to see a large motorboat. One Bandinero stood on a steering pedestal while another operated a massive cannon.

Funky Kong pulled tightly on his bandanna's knot. "Now that is one crazy cruncher you've got there." He paddled forward and circled the boat.

The motorboat turned along with the Kong, but its cannonballs always landed behind him. The massive boat couldn't keep up with the Kong, so he was able t circle faster than they could turn.

Funky Kong looked the boat over as he went around it. "Well, I can tell that this boat is very lame. I could just punch the sides out, but the thing's a total sitting duck if I can just take out the pilot."

Funky Kong raised his bazooka up and started shooting the Bandinero at the boat's steering wheel. After several well-placed shots, the Bandinero lost its balance and fell into the water, sinking to the bottom.

Funky Kong smiled and paddled up to one side of the boat. He raised his fist and smashed straight through the steel siding. He paddled his way around the boat and smashed into the other side. He paddled away from the boat as it took on water. Soon, it submerged, Bandinero, cannon, and all.

Funky Kong grinned. "Now that's what I'm talking about." He paddled back to the ship.

Funky raised up his bazooka and blasted the remaining cannons. Once the last one fizzled out, he flipped on his surfboard. "Sweet. Total wipe out!" He pulled out his Thieftech. "Okay, smart dude. I wiped out the cannons and the yuppies."

Alboort pushed up his glasses. "Great job. This gives us free seas for the heist tonight. Speaking of which, you should probably come back to the cabins. We'll need to discuss what the plan is."

Funky Kong raised his arms. "Oh, come on, smart dude, it's only early afternoon. These swells are totally ripe."

Alboort crossed his arms. "Well, I suppose you could surf for an hour or so. But don't stay out too long. Not only do we need you back, but you're going to look funny being out there all by yourself."

Funky Kong gave Alboort a thumbs up and laughed. "Righteous, dude. Don't worry. I'll watch the clock." He flipped his Thieftech shut and stuck it in his pocket. He turned to the open sea and paddled off to the nearest wave.

_Mission complete,_

_signed,_

_-Funky Kong_

---

Funky's powerful, and he has a long-ranged attack. His dash speed is fair, but he has one serious weakness. His turning in slow. You can't just turn around whenever you feel like it.

Also, I'm afraid Funky isn't going to take on any actual bosses. Mostly because he's not all that hostile. Sure, he'll attack machines and guards, but he's not going to be like Wendy O'Koopa and go looking for trouble.

By the way, anybody else ever wonder how funny Alboort must look like when he's on his computer. He's a Boo, so he doesn't have fingers. He just has to smack each key down with his hand.

The heist is next.

Please enjoy and review.


	45. Chapter 5 part 8

Chapter 5.8: Operation: Shake Off

The gang was crowded together in the cabin again.

Alboort fiddled with his projector. "Okay. I think we're about set."

Wendy rolled her eyes. "You've been using the same image for the entirety of your slideshows. Why set it up?"

Alboort pushed his glasses up. "I've always set this thing up to explain the plan. It just wouldn't be the same if I decided to just stop."

Waluigi nodded. "We've always used the projector."

Wendy frowned and slouched back in her chair.

Alboort floated to the front. "Okay, the scene is set. This plan is very straightforward. First, I will go down to the fourth deck, where the vault is being kept. After I secure the treasure inside, I'll blow up the support beams to make the ship unstable." He pushed his glasses up. "Not only will that make it impossible for them to chase after us. It should force most of the guards down to the low deck."

Waluigi raised an eyebrow. "Isn't that a little dangerous? Wouldn't the ship collapse on us?"

Alboort pulled on his bowtie. "Well, there's always the possibility, but I've done the math, and it should only weaken the stability of the ship, not cave it in."

Iggy nodded. "I've triple-checked all his numbers, and there is no evident possibility that the ship should collapse."

Roy placed a hand on top of Iggy's head. "Yeah, I don't tend to think much of the nerd, but I will admit that he knows his math."  
Alboort cleared his throat. "Anyways," he clicked the button, bringing up the picture of Captain Syrup, "after the guards have cleared out of the ballroom, that's when Waluigi and Ludwig get to work. With their combined efforts, they should keep the Shake King distracted."

Ashley crossed her arms. "Are you sure we can depend on this Captain Syrup person. I don't trust her very much, and I don't think Wario would approve of the idea."

Waluigi shrugged. "We're in the middle of the ocean. Why should we care about what Fatlard thinks?"

Ashley looked up at Waluigi. "Well, I could always be your dance partner again."

Alboort shook his head. "I'm afraid that isn't a possibility." He clicked his button, putting the Shake King on the screen. "You see, while the Shake King is distracted, that's when we need you and Toadsworth to spring Queen Merelda out of the brig and up to the top deck. Toadsworth will lead the queen while you blast any guards that might get in your way."

Ashley leaned back in her chair and sighed disdainfully. "I suppose I am the one for the job."

Alboort nodded. He turned to Waluigi. "After Ashley, Toadsworth, Queen Merelda, and I have made it to the boat with Funky Kong and the other Koopalings, you and Ludwig will need to make your escape from the Shake King's ballroom. Book it up top and jump on the boat. Then we'll all get the heck out of here."

Waluigi smiled. "Sounds like a good plan to me."

Funky Kong nodded. "Totally radical smart dude. No unnecessary action taken."

Alboort swallowed. "Well, that's what I'm worried about." He swatted the screen. "You see, I have no idea if we can just escape the Shake King, so we'll need to be on our toes."

Roy frowned. "Well, I wouldn't mind getting my fair share of the brawl. But fighting on the water? I can't do that."

Iggy crossed his arms and nodded sagely. "Besides, if I read up on this Shake King correctly, he likes to fly around and let lightning do the work for him. He seems to believe the best offense is a good, defensive range."

Waluigi snickered. "Well, I guess I'll just have to drive our way through the storm."

Alboort pulled on his bowtie, laughing nervously. "Let's pray this works."

---

Alboort floated out of the cabin door. He looked both ways before floating down the hall. He found the stairs and went down.

On the next floor, the Boo found his way through the darkness of the labyrinth of halls until he found the next flight of stairs down.

On the bottom deck, Alboort pulled out his Thieftech placed it over his eye. He was able to locate the destination market across the large room. He bumped into a couple of support complexes on the way over, but he soon felt the cool metal of the vault.

Alboort pulled the combination sheet out of his pocket and looked at it through his Thieftech. "Okay, this makes things easy." He reached up for the combination lock and spun the dial. "At least this combination is a hard to guess, 5-14-23. I'm glad to know we aren't just stealing stuff from a bunch of idiots."

Soon, the vault hatch sprung open, flinging Alboort a little ways back into the darkness.

Alboort floated forward. "Well, well, well, this certainly is a nice haul." He pulled off his glasses and shook his head. He opened his mouth, vacuuming up the money inside the vault.

After the fortune had disappeared inside the Boo, Alboort shut his expanded mouth and replaced his glasses. He turned around. "All right. Seems as though all I need to do is knock down these beams with a few well placed bombs." He placed his Thieftech over his eye and looked around. "Well, it looks like there are about six serious support beams, and it should take about two bombs on each to destroy each one." He pushed his glasses up. "Let's get things started."

It took some feeling around in the dark, but Alboort was soon able to attach a bomb to one of the support beams and blasted it apart with a couple of bombs, scooting away from the explosions.

After the first beam collapsed, Alboort moved onto the second and third beams. As he continued blowing up the wood and metal, the only difficulty was finding where they were in the dark.

Soon, the last beam gave way, and the whole ship began to quake.

Alboort looked around, pushing his glasses up. "I better get out of here!"

He felt his way over to the stairs and floated to the upper deck.

---

The rumble went up through the ship.

The Shake King turned to the Buccanero beside him. "Go and check the supports on the lower decks. Take all the manpower ye need."

The Buccanero saluted. "Aye, captain." He ran around the edge of the walls, collecting all the other Bandineros and Buccaneros before running out of the door.

Ludwig sat at the Orchestralia 9000. He pulled out his vibrating Thieftech and flipped it open. "Vell?"

Iggy pushed up his glasses. "Well, if you have any sensation right now, I'm sure you can tell that Alboort has taken care of his job."

Ludwig nodded. "So you vant me to begin playing. This is the plan, right?"

Iggy nodded. "Right. Now, Waluigi should be making his way to the dance floor. Don't start off too fast. Not only will Waluigi need to move to the music, you don't have a lot of space to mess up."

Ludwig frowned. "Are you saying that I vould mess up?"

"No, I'm just warning you." Iggy flipped through the notebook. "Look, the rest of the gang should be in position, so you need to make sure the Shake King does not leave the ballroom."

Ludwig smoothed back his hair. "Very well. I shall be sure to get to work."

Iggy nodded and disappeared from the screen.

Ludwig turned on his stool and watched Waluigi as the purple-clad thief made his way towards the dance floor.

Waluigi walked up to Captain Syrup. "So, Maple, how about that dance?"

Captain Syrup smirked. "Oh, Captain Plum Tart, I haven't seen you around lately." Her smirk and eyes widened. "I was afraid you might have left."

Waluigi held out his hand. "Nope, just waiting for the perfect time."

Captain Syrup laughed. "Are you always the dramatic one?"

Waluigi shrugged. "On and off."

Ludwig turned back to the Orchestralia 9000 and cracked his fingers. "Time to be getting this show on the road." He delicately placed his fingers on the keys.

The first dance was a simple waltz. The slow music was easy enough to follow, and Waluigi took full advantage of the music to make for some impressive dancing. He smiled as he and Captain Syrup kept repeating the simple Waltz all around the floor.

The Shake King stared intently at the dancing pair. "Well, the lad's got style. That's for sure." He leaned back. "The lass ain't bad, either."

The next dance was a foxtrot. Very proper, but the thief and the pirate worked well together. Ludwig also kept his fingers with the tempo. Nice and steady, and the dance was kept crisp. Each movement was like clockwork, not a single unnecessary motion.

The Shake King nodded and scratched his beard. "Good showmanship. Always the sign of a master pirate." He furrowed his brow. "The only thing left to determine is his strength, but I suppose I can't do that in the ballroom."

The music changed to tango. It wasn't particularly slow, but it was smooth, making for an uncomplicated dance. Waluigi and Captain Syrup strutted from one end of the dance floor to the other. Each step was kept to time, and the music kept the pair in motion.

Captain Syrup smiled at Waluigi. "You certainly know your dances."

Waluigi snickered. "I have a good teacher."

Ludwig furrowed his brow as he played. "I vonder how the rest of the gang is doing."

---

Meanwhile, Toadsworth and Ashley stood in front of the cell door, Ashley having taken out the Gold Bandinero guard.

Ashley fiddled with the locks and keys. "I still don't understand why we're letting Waluigi dance with Captain Syrup. It's nothing but risk, if you ask me."

Toadsworth adjusted his spectacles. "Well, I certainly will admit that it all seems strange. However, Master Waluigi can take care of himself."

"I guess so." Ashley dropped the last lock. "Well, let's grab this queen and get out of here."

Toadsworth opened the door and walked inside. "Pardon me, Queen Merelda?"

Queen Merelda looked up from her bed. "Oh! Who are you?"

Toadsworth cleared his throat. "I, dear lady, am part of a troupe who has come to rescue you from the clutches of-"

Ashley rolled her eyes and stepped into the room. "Summary: We're here to get you out. Now, follow us." She turned and ran out the door.

Toadsworth nodded and took hold of Queen Merelda's had. "Come. We must hurry, dear lady." He pulled her up to her feet and ran as best he could.

Alboort turned the corner, almost running into Ashley. "Okay. Good. You guys are still down here."

Ashley raised an eyebrow. "And that's a good thing, how?"

Alboort pushed his glasses up. "Well, not good as in good. I mean good as in nothing bad happened." He pointed around the corner. "Listen, we're going to need to get up to the top deck. Most of the gang is already up there, but there are a few more guards coming down to check the damage then I had expected."

Ashley spun her scepter over her head. "Don't worry. I can take care of them."

Alboort nodded. "I'll take the back, in case anyone tries to come back up." He floated until he was behind Toadsworth and Queen Merelda.

Ashley dashed forward, the rest trailing behind her. She soon found the stairs that went up and blasted the crowd of Bandineros that was standing in front of it into smoke.

On the next floor, there were fewer enemies, but they were not Bandineros. They were Boomdineros, clad in armor and cannons on their head.

Ashley spun her scepter and blasted the armor off them. She blasted the pirates again to send them into oblivion. She smirked. "Armor isn't worth much against magic."

Alboort was leaving a trail of bombs. "Yes, but don't underestimate these guys. We still have to find the stairs."

Ashley tightened her grip on her scepter. "Don't worry. Remember, I am the cruelest girl you'll ever meet."  
Alboort tugged on his bowtie. "Well, just be mean to the guards, and we should be good."

Ashley nodded and ran ahead, blasting away several more Boomdineros.

The next stairs were soon found, and the small brigade made their way up.

At the top of the stairs, Ashley was about to run ahead again, but Alboort shouted, "Stop!"

Ashley turned around. "What is it?"

Alboort pushed his glasses up. "We can't go past the ballroom doors. We'll have to take the long way around."

Ashley sighed as she turned to the left.

The Buccaneros that stood in their way took about three magic blasts to knock off. Fortunately, all they had to attack with were swords, and there were maybe about six of them to start with.

Ashely stopped at the ladder that led up to the main deck. She turned and pointed her scepter up. "Okay, get the anchors of your pants and get out of here!"

Toadsworth nodded, and he and Queen Merelda went up.

Alboort floated there, frowning.

Ashley rolled her eyes. "Fine. I'm not allowed to go get Waluigi." She jumped up and climbed up the stairs.

Alboort chuckled as he floated over and up.

On the main deck, the small group ran over to the side of the ship.

Funky Kong climbed up a rope ladder and jumped onto the deck. "Okay, dudes, surf's up!" He grabbed Ashley and Queen Merelda. "And we have got to book it big time!"

Ashley scowled. "You better n-"

Funky Kong ran over to the edge of the ship and jumped off with the two girls. "Cowabunga!"

Alboort sighed and palmed his face. He floated over to the edge of the ship and followed Toadsworth down the ladder.

As the gang assembled in the motorboat van, Iggy pulled out his Thieftech.

---

Waluigi finished the tango by dipping Captain Syrup until she nearly touched the floor. He span her until she was standing again.

Captain Syrup laughed. "That had to have been the best dance I've ever had."

Waluigi rubbed the back of his head and snickered. "Well, just remember, Waluigi is number one."

Captain Syrup held her chin. "Waluigi? You know, that sounds familiar from somewhere."

The Shake King didn't give Syrup time to think as he stood up. "Well done, me hearties. Well done indeed." He walked onto the dance floor and pointed at Waluigi. "You've got the best style me eyes have ever seen in all me years." He winked and pointed back to himself. "Aside from me own, o' course." He pointed back to Waluigi. "What say we join up?"

Ludwig watched from the Orchestralia, pulling out his vibrating Thieftech. "Yes?"

Iggy adjusted his glasses. "Listen, we've got the queen, so get out of there!"

Ludwig nodded and placed the Thieftech back in his pocket. He took a few seconds to take in everything in the room. He quickly turned his head and blasted a ball of flame, cutting a series of ropes.

Chandeliers crashed down on the crowds, and a particularly large one fell on top of the Shake King, entangling him as well.

Ludwig stood up and ran to the door. "Valuvigi! It's time we got the going!"

Waluigi nodded. He pulled a rose out of his hat and handed it to Captain Syrup. "See ya around, Maple." He turned and ran out of the door.

It wasn't long until the two remaining thieves were on the main deck. Ludwig was already making his way down the ladder, but Waluigi wasted no time. He ran over and jumped off, swinging his pirate costume off and folding it neatly before he landed on the motorboat van.

Waluigi placed his costume in Alboort's hand and ran up to the front, pushing Iggy out of the driver's seat. "If anyone's driving us out of here in _my_ van, it's me!" He turned on all the engines.

Suddenly, the top of the ship exploded as the Shake King flew up into the air. "Maggots! Sea Slugs! Cockroaches! What be the meaning of this!" He looked down and saw the gang, including Queen Merelda. "So, that be it." He raised his arms arms, and storm clouds began to swirl around him. "Ye will not escape with yer lives, worthless salty dogs!"

A lightning bolt flew down and nearly hit the vanboat.

Alboort jumepd. "Waluigi! You better get us out of here!"

"Right!" Waluigi looked over the control panel. "Okay, the A button is to accelerate, and the B button is the brake."

Alboort nodded. "Right the controls are just like in the van, including the quick turns. C for right, Z for left." He turned to see another lightning bolt charging up. "Look, just get us out of here!"

"Okay!" Waluigi stomped on the acceleration, and the boat blasted off towards the open sea.

Waluigi drove the boat as fast as he could. He used the power turning to avoid lightning bolts that stayed stagnant in the middle of the sea, and he pressed hard on the brake before glowing clouds released brief spurts of lightning.

The vanboat swerved back and forth as lightning plagued the sea. The bolts began to make full walls, so Waluigi swerved into the slim narrow sections until they were far away from the ship.

The Shake King floated overhead. He growled and glared down at the small boat and its crew. "Enough playing around!" He pointed at the back engine of the boat and blasted it with lightning.

Queen Merelda gasped, and the rest of the people on the boat started shout.

Waluigi turned hard on the steering wheel. "Heads up, everybody. We're going to be making a crash landing!"

The motorboat van swerved and crashed into a nearby island. Most of the gang jerked forward, but Waluigi jumped out.

The Shake King landed on the island in front of Waluigi. "Well, ye be quite the thief. But it takes more than a thief to steal from me."

Waluigi held his hands up and kicked forward a couple times. "I'm not a thief." He crouched down and snickered cruelly. "I'm the number one thief."

The Shake King laughed. "We'll see who be number one after this." He lowered his head and charged forward.

Waluigi jumped out of the way of the ramming pirate.

Alboort floated to the front of the boat. "Waluigi, Shake King fights a lot like Wario! Just dodge his ram attack, jump when he punches the ground, and attack him when he's not paying attention!"

Waluigi nodded as he kicked the Shake King a couple times in the rear. "And don't forget the lightning, right?"

Alboort pushed up his glasses. "Right."

Waluigi dodged the Shake King as he charged again. He turned and kicked him in the rear a couple times.

This tag game continued for a little bit, but Waluigi did have to jump over a couple Earthquake Punches.

After a while, the Shake King growled. "It's time for ye to walk the plank, landlubber!" He jumped up into the air and circled around the island.

Waluigi noticed sparks over his head and ran. A small trail of lightning bolts followed him around the arena. He was able to outrun them, but just barely.

Soon, the lightning bolts disappeared.

Waluigi turned to see the Shake King land back on the ground. The large viking-pirate charged at Waluigi. When he missed, he turned and charged again.

Waluigi dodged the Shake King like a matador with a bull. He kicked the Shake King in the back whenever it was turned, and he jumped out of the way of the double charge.

Soon, the Shake King jumped up into the air. Electricity pulsed in his hands, and he started shooting electric spheres down at the ground,

Waluigi ran as the balls exploded around him, particularly behind him. He ran like crazy, the electrical spheres making the island look like a mine field.

After missing for quite a while, the Shake King growled and landed back on the ground. Various lightning bolts fell down around the field. "Now ye've made me angry, fool!"

Not only did Waluigi have to dodge the lightning bolts around him, but he had to avoid the now pinball-like Shake King. He pulled out his whip and started attacking from a distance as best as he could.

After wearing the massive viking-pirate down, Waluigi jumped up and Earthquake Stomped straight on top of the Shake King's head. He kicked furiously at the earthbound Shake King and finished by juggling him in the air and slamming him on the ground with his heel.

The Shake King groaned. He stood up and paused.

Queen Merelda jumped up. "Get out of there!"

Waluigi ran back to the boat. As soon as he jumped in, the Shake King exploded, sending the motorboat van out to sea.

After the smoke cleared and the water settled, Team Waluigi and Queen Merelda stood up.

Waluigi looked back at the island. "Now that's what I call going out with a bang."

Ashley nodded. She turned to the back of the boat. "Speaking of going out with a bang..."

Red hopped off of Ashley's shoulder and ran over to the motor. "This thing got broken pretty good."

"Don't worry about it." Iggy's glasses glinted, and he pulled a wrench out of his lab coat pocket. "I'll fix that in no time."

---

On Merfle Island, Team Waluigi was surrounded by cheering Merfles.

Roy, Iggy, and Ludwig were clutching their hands over their ears. Roy was running away from pursuing Merfles as fast as he could. Iggy was beating his head against a palm tree, trying to ignore the little fairy-like creatures. Ludwig was humming loudly to himself.

Wendy rolled her eyes. "You guys are pathetic. You know that, right?"

Not a single one of the male Koopalings paid attention to their sister.

Queen Merelda laughed good-naturedly and walked up to Waluigi. "I really thank you for your kind and valiant efforts to save me. I am truly in your debt."

Waluigi snickered. "Well, our little team here is always glad to accept a reward."

"A reward?" Queen Merelda blinked a couple times. She looked over at the Merfle flying beside her. "I'm afraid we don't have anything to give you."

The merfle laughed nervously and shrugged. "I don't think I mentioned anything about an award."

Waluigi held his chin. "No reward?"

Alboort pushed his glasses up. "That might be a little difficult to explain to the team."

Waluigi pulled his hat off. "Well, there's only one thing we can do right now."

Queen Merelda flinched. "I certainly hope you aren't upset"

Waluigi pulled a rose out of his hat and held it out to Merelda. "Upset, a little, but we got the Shake King's treasure." He smiled. "We'll figure out your payment later."

"Oh." Queen Merelda took the rose. "Thank you. You truly are a kind hero."

Ashley looked around. "So where d owe go from here."

Iggy clutched onto Waluigi's shoulders. "I don't care. Let's just get back into the boat and get out of here."

Waluigi turned around. "Okay. Okay. I get the message." He turned back and winked at Queen Merelda. "We'll be seeing you later." He walked towards the shore with Alboort and Ashley.

Toadsworth nodded. "A real pleasure to make your acquaintance." He turned and walked after the rest of the gang.

At the motorboat van, Funky Kong was sitting in the back. "Aloha, bros!" He jumped up and laughed. "Is it time to get ship off?"

The Koopalings were the first to arrive at the boat. The three brothers jumped in the boat headfirst. Wendy sat herself down properly.

Roy looked up and sat down. "Who cares if it's time to leave? Let's just get outta here!"

Ludwig nodded. "I am about to lose my mind."  
As the rest of the gang approached the motorboat van, though, a laughing filled the air.

"Certainly the lot of you weren't planning to leave without me."  
Waluigi, Alboort, Ashley and the rest looked out to sea to see Captain Syrup approaching quickly in a motorized sailboat.

As the boat reached the shore, the purple-clad captain jumped up and flipped her way onto the beach. She stood up, looked over at Team Waluigi and crossed her arms. "Well, I notice that your little operation is pretty lucrative. I wouldn't mind traveling with all of you."  
Ashley crossed her arms and pouted. "I don't like this idea. We don't have any reason to trust her."

Red poofed to normal and sat on Ashley's shoulder. He laughed and poked at Ashley's cheek. "Well-"

Ashley turned and glared at the small demon. "Say anything, and you will be the main ingredient in my next potion."  
Red swallowed and smiled wryly.

Alboort floated up near Waluigi's head. He pushed his glasses up. "Well, I admit that Wario has had some difficulties with her before, but we can't really pass up this opportunity. Captain Syrup would make for some good back-up. Her agility, thieving skills, and intelligence would make for a good addition to any thieving team."

Waluigi nodded. He turned to the boat. "What do you think, guys? Should we let her join."

Roy growled. "If it will get us out of here any faster!"

Waluigi smiled and turned to Captain Syrup and held out his hand. "Welcome to the team."

Captain Syrup shook Waluigi's hand. "I'm sure it will be a pleasure to work with you."

---

Alboort sat in the back of the motorboat van as it zipped its way across the ocean's surface. He looked around to see the sleeping thieves until he caught sight of the three in front.

Waluigi was driving the boat, and Ashley had insisted on sitting in the passenger seat. Captain Syrup, however, found herself pretty comfortable lying across the back of the two seats. She and Waluigi were swapping stories as the boat went on, and Ashley had a storm cloud forming over her head.

Alboort chuckled as he pulled out his laptop and opened up his cyber-journal:

_Tycoons, Kings, and Pirates. We've been through quite a lot already. I wouldn't be too surprised if we were currently the greatest thieves in the world._

_Then we have our new member. Captain Syrup's experience is sure to enhance our team pretty well. However, Ashley doesn't seem to enjoy having her around. I hope that this new partnership doesn't end up mangling anything._

_Oh well, for now, I think we can kick back for a little bit. Iggy and I did up the sums, and we already have enough for the whole gang to retire to Isle Delfino for the rest of our lives, so we're not exactly hurting for work._

_I like this job, though, so I think we'll keep it up._

_Mission complete,_

_signed,_

_-Waluigi_

_-Alboort_

_-Ashley and Red_

_-Toadsworth_

_-The Koopalings_

_-Funky Kong_

---

Okay, now it's time for a few notes.

First, the Ludwig/Waluigi part goes: Play as Ludwig, Memorize the line and copy the notes as Waluigi, line by line.

Second, when Waluigi told Merelda that they could think of some sort of payment later, that was not meant to be provocative. This is still supposed to be a children's game.

Speaking of Merelda, the ending of this chapter is supposed to prove the difference between Wario and Waluigi. Namely, how Merelda was treated. I see Waluigi as being more mischievous and prideful than greedy, so he'd probably show off by kicking Shake King around like a soccer ball instead of pitching Queen Merelda to the side like the first fast ball of the Baseball Kingdom series. I like Wario, but I couldn't help but be upset with what he did at the ending of Wario Land: Shake it!

Anyways, yes, the new ally is Captain Syrup, Wario's biggest rival. This is also supposed to show that, even though Waluigi is Wario's pal, he is not Wario's puppet. Anyways, let's talk about Captain Maple Syrup. Seriously, she's like the Jessica Rabbit of the Nintendo world. Pair that up with the fact that she's a pirate with major skills, I don't understand why she isn't in more games.

However, she's obviously becoming flirty with Waluigi. And why not? She's attractive, she's relatively thin (not counting her curves), she's tall, she's associated with Wario, and she's recently become obsessed with purple clothing.

Let's face it! If Capitan Syrup showed up in even one Mario spin-off, people who are not all that familiar with the Wario universe would take one look at her and be all "OMG! It's a female Waluigi." Then, not even a week later, the internet would be clogged as heavily with Waluigi x Syrup as it is with Wario x Mona.

However, in this game, Ashley also has her sights on Waluigi. How will this affect things? Especially when we have Waluigi flirting with women like Kalypso, Vanessa, and Merelda.

Okay, let's forget about the girls for a moment and get focused on the story. We've made it through five worlds together, and I have two more left to go. Here's the twist in the next one: It's an original villain. That's right! A villain that you have never seen before. So stay tuned.

Please enjoy and review.


	46. Chapter 6 part 0

Chapter 6.0: Reach for the Stars

Alboort sat beneath an umbrella on the beach, laptop out and ready. He flexed his hands for a moment and brushed the sand off of his beach towel before typing.

_Things are going pretty much perfectly. After escaping from the Shake King's ship, the gang decided to take advantage of the tropical paradise we've landed in. Waluigi has been teaching the rest of the crew how to play beach volleyball, and most of them seem to enjoy it._

_Ashley has also been more active and very competitive in volleyball. When she's not playing it, though, she's been using the van's computers to look up something. Given her great aggressiveness recently, I doubt that she's been able to find what she's looking for._

_Anyways, I've run most of the numbers, and it looks like we've got a marvelous line-up. Yes, our little gang is probably the best gang of thieves in the world._

_Until next time,_

_Alboort_

Alboort closed his cyber-journal and sighed. He leaned back a little and pushed his glasses up a bit. "Yes, it certainly doesn't get any better than this."

Suddenly, the laptop started flashing like crazy.

Alboort quickly jumped up and started typing like crazy. "What's going on here?"

A gold star flew onto the screen and winked at Alboort. "You've got star-mail."

Alboort adjusted his glasses and stared at his computer screen.

The star giggled and turned around. On its back was something like a television screen.

A woman with platinum blond hair and bangs flowing over half of her face appeared on the star's screen. "Hello? I hope I am contacting the Team Waluigi." She folded her hands together and sighed heavily. "I need your help. You see, I am Princess Rosalina, guardian of the Lumas. However, I am afraid I will have difficulty guarding them in the near future. A man called Star-Krossed has recently come into the galaxy, and he is eating stars. I know I can protect the Lumas while they are young and stay in the observatory, but for the sake of the stars and the stars to be, I need someone to take care of Star-Krossed. He could ruin the entire universe. I would be willing to pay any price. Just please help us. I've tried to ask the Mario Brothers for help, but I have heard nothing from them." She held her hands up prayerfully. "Please, help us."

Alboort pushed his glasses up again as the star disappeared from his screen. "Well, maybe this team might just be out of this world, yet." He shut his computer and floated over to the game. "Hey, guys, we need to get going!"

Waluigi stopped and looked at Alboort. He walked over. "What is it, Alboort?"

Alboort patted his laptop a couple times. "We have another mission. We were called to help a Princess Rosalina."

"Princess Rosalina?" Waluigi scratched the back of his head. "That name sounds familiar."

Captain Syrup laughed as she leaned against one of the volleyball poles. "Familiar? Like an old girlfriend kind of familiar?"

Waluigi shook his head. "No, I think I met her at one of the Mario Kart tournaments. She could ride a motorbike pretty well. She was, like, some sort of star guardian."

Ashley crossed her arms and walked over to Waluigi and Alboort. "Are you saying we're going up into space or something? That seems a bit over the top."

Alboort nodded. "That's exactly what I'm saying."

Waluigi held his chin. "I don't know. I have to agree with Ashley on this one."

Ashley smiled slightly.

Waluigi looked up at the sky. "How are we supposed to go up in space? We'd need a rocket ship or something."

Iggy Koopa ran over, almost tripping in the loose sand. "Oh, don't worry about that." He pulled a remote control out of one of his lab coat pockets and pointed it at the motorboat van. He pressed the button, and the motorboat started changing.

Several minutes later, Team Waluigi was staring up at a massive purple rocket.

Waluigi turned to Iggy and punched him in the head. "I thought you only modified my van so it could turn into a motorboat."

Iggy rubbed his shoulder and smiled sheepishly. "Well, you can't blame me for taking my experiments to the limits."

Alboort floated over to the rocket. "Never mind that. Let's just hope it works."

---

Yes, I'm taking Waluigi into the final frontier of Mario Galaxy. This is for two reasons. One, Rosalina only showed up in Mario Galaxy and a couple of spin-offs. If she wants to be a canon character, she needs to be in more than three games. Two, Waluigi and Rosalina seem to be a popular fan pairing. I'm not saying I'm for or against it. I'm just saying it looks like a good idea to stick Rosalina in a Waluigi game.

Actually, when you think about it, Waluigi is a free guy who could be easily paired with a lot of people. Queen Merelda, Princess Rosalina, Ashley, Vanessa, Captain Syrup, Daisy (even though she's canon with Luigi), and after a looser fashion, even characters like Kalypso and Tiny Kong (even if I didn't infer anything concerning Tiny). Waluigi also seems to be the leading botanist in the Mario World (that means he knows and likes growing plants).

If you look at this and the possibility that Nintendo may start a gardening fad any month now, that says one thing to me. If Waluigi does not get a thieving game or a sports game of his own, it's a fair possibility that he could star in a Mario spin-off based on the Harvest Moon series (see Wikipedia for details). It'd be pretty funny to see the egomaniac living such a simple, humble life.

Of course, for now, we're focusing on the thieving. So stay tuned, enjoy, and review.


	47. Chapter 6 part 1

Chapter 6.1: Astrological Sightings

The large purple rocket sped through space until the Comet Observatory came into view. After passing through a clear blue barrier, it landed on the strip of land encircling the observatory.

Waluigi smacked the side of the rocket. "Where the heck is that door?"

Iggy sighed as he walked open and threw a handle open. "It's right here."

Waluigi pushed past Iggy. "If you didn't have to make everything so complicated." He jumped from the door to the ground. He turned to help Ashley and Captain Syrup down before walking away from the ship.

The rest of the gang hopped out after the three.

Alboort floated up next to Waluigi. "Well, this should be it. The Comet Observatory."

Waluigi pointed into the distance. "What's that, then? The Meteor Observatory or the Black Hole Observatory."

"What are you talking abou-" Alboort gaped as he looked a little ways away.

From the ground they were standing on, a cosmic energy bridge stretched from in front of the observatory doors to an island with a fortress on it. Black walls stood up around a massive tower. Gold star shapes lined the walls. A red forcefield swirled around it.

Alboort swallowed and tugged on his bowtie. "Well, I-I-I-I g-guess that's St-star-Krossed's place."

Waluigi scratched beneath his chin. "I didn't exactly get the idea that Rosalina and Star-Krossed were neighbors from that star-mail."

Alboort flung his arms wide. "I don't think you're getting the point. That thing makes Fort Knox look like a children's playground.

Waluigi shrugged and walked over to the doors and knocked. "Hello! Anybody home?"

After a minute, the door creaked open as a tiny star looked out. He jumped midair and floated back inside.

A few minutes later, the doors opened again to reveal Princess Rosalina. "Oh, it is you." She opened the doors wide. "Come in. Hurry. I did not expect Star-Krossed to be upon so soon, and I do not trust us to be safe out here, even with my powers.]Waluigi flipped his hat up. "Well, looks like we're getting room and board here."

Alboort nodded. "But you still have to-"

Waluigi sighed as he walked past Rosalina. "I know. I know. Reconnaissance." He paused and turned to Alboort. "By the way, how can you tell the difference between night and day around here."

Alboort shrugged. "I'm not really sure."

---

Later, Waluigi stepped out of the Comet Observatory. He pulled out his Thieftech and flipped it open. "Okay, what exactly am I out here for?"

"What are you not out there for." Alboort tapped several keys. "I mean, look at the security on that place. I'm not even sure we can get in there."

Waluigi rolled his eyes as he walked over to the bridge.

Alboort pushed up his glasses. "You better be careful, Waluigi. There's no telling what could happen if you step out of the forcefield."

Waluigi shrugged. "Would you relax? He didn't shoot us out of the air, so I think we'd have to get pretty close for any of the defenses to kick in."

Alboort swallowed. "I hope you're right."

Waluigi looked between his Thieftech and Star-Krossed's keep a couple times. "Just to make sure, though, how about you tell me what I should take pictures of before I go out there."

Alboort nodded. "Right. I should have thought of that." He pushed his glasses up a tapped a few keys. "Okay. Let's see. There aren't any guards to worry about, so you should take pictures of as much security as possible. Star-Krossed's forcefield, the spotlights, the turret guns he has on the walls, and the star pillars." He scratched his chin. "You should probably get a picture of a star, if you can."  
Waluigi nodded. "Okay, that doesn't sound too tough. But fill me in on the way." He flipped the Thieftech shut and stepped out of the blue forcefield.

At the head of the energy road between the two towers, Waluigi pulled out his Thieftech. "Better take that forcefield's picture while I can still see the whole thing." He raised the Thieftech to his eye and took a picture of the red forcefield."  
Alboort showed up on the Thieftech's screen. "Well, it's not anything special. Just your typical forcefield. But that means we can't get anywhere near Star-Krossed as long as it's up."

Waluigi raised an eyebrow. "You can tell all that by looking at the thing?"

Alboort shook his head. "Actually, I was able to hack his server. You wouldn't believe how clear the internet is up here."

Waluigi nodded. "That certainly will be handy."  
Alboort smiled. "I'm glad you approve."

Waluigi ran up to the edge of the red forcefield. He pulled his Thieftech up and zoomed in on a gun. He snapped the picture.

Alboort reappeared in the screen. "Well, it seems these turrets are meant to deter ground units, but I guess they're secondary defenses after the forcefield, seeing how they're not firing at you."

Waluigi nodded. "So, we'll need something in the air to take them out."

Alboort hesitated. "That depends. Could you take a picture of one of the spotlights real quick?"

"Ok." Waluigi turned off Alboort and aimed higher on the dark palace. He zoomed in on a large spotlight with a set of guns on it and took the picture.

Alboort nodded as he reappeared. "I was afraid of that." He pushed his glasses up. "These spotlights are rigged to shoot anything out of the air that comes too close to Star-Krossed's keep." He tapped several keys. "The missiles they shooy would be too fast to dodge, but if we can use something small enough, it can fly around them. Nonetheless, we want to take out as much security as possible, and it's going to take some serious firepower to blast those things to pieces."

Waluigi scratched his head. "Yeah. And I don't think Ashley or Funky can reach that high."

Alboort pushed his glasses up. "Don't worry. I'll think of something,"" He clicked on his mouse. "Hurry and get a picture of one of the star pillars. Judging from their size, they must be important."

Waluigi nodded as he turned Alboort off. He looked around for a moment before catching the star-shaped pendant at the top of a black, spiked tower.

Alboort cringed as he reappeared. "Well, that's certainly friendly looking."

Waluigi just stared at the pillar, furrowing his brow. "What the heck does that thing do?"

"Give me a minute." Alboort tapped several keys. "Ah, it seems to act like a star magnet, drawing in all of the stars into a star-sealing forcefield."

Waluigi raised an eyebrow. "Okay. Now, that's weird. What the heck do stars even do? All I know is that they symbolize trophies at Mario parties."

"Indeed. Maybe if you took a picture of one, we could figure it out."

"Right. I'll see if I can find one." Waluigi grumbled and rolled his eyes as he turned Alboort off. He looked around at the sky, but his zoom wasn't effective enough. He turned back to the open gate just in time to see a star fly by. By reflex, he took its picture."

"Hmm." Alboort pushed his glasses up. "Well, this is some very curious phenomena."

Waluigi raised an eyebrow. "SO you know what they do."

Alboort slumped. "Not a clue." He sat back up. "Listen. Come back to the observatory. It'd be too dangerous to just leave you out there for too long, and I'll need to run all the data on these defenses."

"Right." Waluigi flipped his Thieftech shut and ran back to the Comet Observatory.

_Mission complete,_

_signed,_

_Waluigi_

---

Okay. This field has no guards whatsoever. Instead, it'll all be skill. Skills that haven't been used very much or making the gameplay of some characters a little more convoluted.

No, the only real fighting in this chapter except the big boss himself.

However, there will be plenty of attacking, so stay tuned.

Please enjoy and review.


	48. Chapter 6 part 2

Chapter 6.2: Boo Barrier Bombing

Alboort set up his projector as the gang gathered together in one of the smaller rooms in the Comet Observatory.

Ludwig leaned back in his chair. "Vell, I suppose I can stand this place for a vuile."  
Roy nodded. "These Lumas are a lot easier on the ears than those stupid Merfles."

Alboort frowned as he floated up to the front. "We didn't come all the way into space to listen to starlight lullabies. Rosalina called us up here to get rid of Star-Krossed." He held up his projector button and clicked it, bringing up the picture of the forcefield. "Of course, we'll need to get rid of his defenses. I'll use my wi-fi to get into his circuitry and hack the system and bring the forcefield down."

Waluigi raised an eyebrow. "Do you need me to come along with you. A system like that couldn't have been left unprotected."

Alboort swallowed and pushed his glasses up. "Well, I would've liked that, but I'm afraid we don't have the technology to fit you into a circuit. I'm afraid I'll have to go alone." He clicked the button, and a gun turret appeared on the screen. "As soon as I get the forcefield down, we'll need someone to take the guns out. They'll destroy any chance at our land missions." He turned to Captain Syrup. "And I'm sure that we have just the person to do it."  
Ashley crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow. "Captain Syrup?" She snapped her fingers, and Red turned into her scepter. She caught the scepter and held it up, letting it glow ominously. "I could break those things apart without any difficulty whatsoever."

Alboort pushed up his glasses. "Well, I know you can break the guns apart without thinking about it." He smacked the screen with his hand. "That is, if the guns weren't out to break you first. Otherwise, I could have sent out Waluigi and Funky Kong. We need someone who can fly."

Ashley jumped to her feet and pointed at Captain Syrup, causing the rest of the gang to jump in their seats. "And Captain Syrup can fly? Why don't you just send Iggy and his miniplanes?"

Iggy leaned over the front row and laughed nervously. "Well, my plane was broken by that crash landing in Kong Country."

Alboort nodded. "Besides, I'm afraid that Iggy and I have looked over the schematics, and a plane requires too much space and too much time to turn. He'd probably get blasted out of the sky by the spotlight guns."

Ashley turned between Alboort and Captain Syrup and back again. She waved her scepter around and waved her free hand wildly at Captain Syrup. "I still don't see how she can fly."

Captain Syrup laughed. "Well, let's just say that you have your magic, I have mine." She leaned back in her chair. "Don't worry, I'll send those gun turrets out of commission, no problem."

Ashley sat back down, grumbling.

"Don't worry, Ashley. You'll get your chance at a mission." Alboort clicked the button, placing the picture of the star on the screen. "After the land defense is taken out, I'll need you to see about collecting some stars."

Waluigi leaned forward. "So, has Rosalina told you why Star-Krossed is so interested in eating these things?"

Alboort shook his head. "No, to her, the Lumas and stars are simply people. That's why I need Ashley to grab some stars, so I can scientifically examine them."

Waluigi leaned back. "All I get is that they're shiny and fly around. They look a little tough to actually eat."

Alboort shrugged. "I'll see about figuring that out later." He floated over to his laptop and flipped it open. "For now, I'll just see about taking care of a forcefield." He tapped a couple keys, shrunk in size, and floated into his computer. "Hey, Waluigi!"

Waluigi walked over to the laptop. "What is it?"

Alboort floated into the middle of the screen. "Just double click on me, and I should be sent to the internet."

Waluigi moved the mouse and clicked on the Boo, causing it to disperse into data.

---

Alboort reassembled inside of a circuit. He shook his head and groaned. "Well, that wasn't the smoothest ride of my life." He looked around himself. "But at least I was able to get here in one piece." He pulled out his Thieftech and opened it. "Okay, Waluigi, I'm inside Star-Krossed's circuitry."

Waluigi nodded. "You doing okay in there? That just seems to be cutting pretty close on Stra-Krossed's boundaries."

Alboort swallowed. "I know. But it's crucial if we're ever going to get anywhere near his keep."

Waluigi nodded. "Just call me if you have any problems."

Alboort nodded. "I hope I won't need it. My biggest problem would be if Star-Krossed were to check his systems while I'm in here. However, I installed a program on my computer that should fish me out of here as soon as I'm done taking out the forcefield."

"Oh, is it this star icon on the screen?"

Alboort nodded. "That should be it." He looked around himself and swallowed. "I better get going." He shut his Thieftech and pit it away."

Alboort floated down the circuit for a little bit. He jumped over the electrical pulses, but that wasn't his only problem. He had to dodge around spiraling stars of flame while he floated down the way, timing it both so that he didn't have to jump over an electrical pulse not hit the fire.

After a while, Alboort stopped and wiped his brow. "Wow, now that's what I call a firewall." He looked around. "Well, it looks like I'm in the main security lead now." He pushed his glasses up. "If the electrical schematics were right, I'll just need to go to my left, and the main forcefield controls should be right there." He turned and continued floating.

After dodging around a few more flaming stars, Alboort found himself overlooking a massive room. Flaming stars span in circles on the floor, and silver stars with cannons in the middle of them were floating around a giant gold pillar.

Alboort's glasses almost fell off of his face. "Mother!" He swallowed and backed away from the ledge for a moment. "Okay. This isn't as bad as it looks. All I have to do is float around the deathtraps on the floor and try to attack the armored soldiers that are poised to destroy me while trying to blow up the psychotically large code in the middle of the room." He swallowed and pushed his glasses up. "Then again, maybe I should just avoid the soldiers."

Alboort floated over to the ledge and swallowed one last time. He jumped off the side and landed in the narrow path between two flaming stars.

Several of the silver stars turned towards the intruder. They all shot missiles in his direction, shaking afterwards.

Alboort jumped out of the way of the projectiles by the breadth of a hair. He floated towards the gold pillar in the middle of the room and stuck a bomb on it. Not even pausing, he rushed past the bomb and blew it up as some of the silver stars approached.

Unfortunately for the Boo, the stars didn't die, and there were more silver stars on the other side of the pillar.

Alboort quickly floated out of the way as more missiles shot at him. He placed another bomb on the pillar, lured guards into it, and blew the bomb up when he was a safe distance away. He jumped backwards before hitting a flaming star and rushed around it as the silvers one approached him from behind.

Alboort bit his lip. "This is a little harder than I had hoped." He pulled out a bomb and placed it on the ground as a trap for his enemies. He played tag like this until some of the stars went spiraling out of control and exploding.

When he had reduced the silver star count by half, Alboort floated over to the pillar and placed another bomb on it. He floated away and detonated it.

Alboort had to keep dodging both explosion and missile as he played ring around the pillar with the silver stars. He just barely ducked under a couple missiles.

About ten bombs later, Alboort had reduced the silver stars from forty to ten, but they weren't his big concern. He floated over and placed another bomb on the gold pillar.

This time, when the bomb exploded, the whole pillar teetered as pieces of it fell away. The entire pillar cracked and creaked and crumbled as it fell into dust.

Alboort pulled out his Thieftech. "Hurry, Waluigi, get me out of here!"

Waluigi nodded. "Right. Star icon, now." He clicked on the mouse, and Alboort vanished from the circuit.

_Mission complete,_

_signed,_

_-Alboort_

---

It's been too long since I've had Alboort hack something, let alone some real guards. Anyways, yeah, some more Alboort love.

Also, I do not classify security programs as guards, even if they should be able to kick Alboort's butt if he stood still for three seconds.

Please enjoy and review.


	49. Chapter 6 part 3

Chapter 6.3: Magical Ride

Captain Syrup walked out of the observatory doors. She pulled out a purple and gold Thieftech and flipped it open. "Alboort, right?"

Alboort nodded. "Okay, you're sure that you can do this?"

Ashley appeared on the other side of the screen. "Yes. I still don't see you can fly."

Captain Syrup laughed. "Well, what you didn't see was this." She reached into her back pocket and pulled out a golden oil lamp. "I happen to have all I need right here."

Ashley raised an eyebrow. "What;s so special about a stupid lamp."  
Captain Syrup rolled her eyes and gave the lamp a quick rub. "Denpuu, I need you."

The lamp began to shake as red and orange smoke spewed out of the lamp's spout. The smoke soon span around until it exploded. A large, tubby, tan genie popped out of the smoke's explosion. "You called, Miss Syrup."

Ashley sighed in exasperation. "Oh, marvelous. A genie!"

Alboort pushed his glasses up. "Actually, that may be just what we're looking for." He tapped several keys. "Do you think you two could actually get rid of the guns?"

Captain Syrup giggled as she patted Denpuu's large belly. "Well, Denpuu is a little eccentric, but once properly controlled, he can do anything."

Alboort nodded. "Well, there should be about thirty-three guns, three for each wall. However, you need to avoid the spotlights. They're pretty high up on the walls, but I just want you to be careful."

Ashley shook her head. "I still don't believe this." She disappeared from the screen.

Alboort pushed his glasses up. "Remember, this is a very important mission. We need access to the courtyard by the ground, so we're not going to cut any slack for failure, even if you are the new member."

Captain Syrup laughed. "Don't worry. There is no way we could mess up." She grinned slightly and looked away from the Thieftech. "Well, that is, as long as I don't start having too much fun."

Alboort frowned. "I'm serious. I've never seen a guy who was so insane with power and security."

Captain Syrup waved the comment off. "Calm down, the forcefield is down, so there's nothing to worry about."

"Well, only half of the forcefield is down." Alboort tapped several keys. "The part that keeps most things out is down, but there's still the clear forcefield that lets the stars in but doesn't keep them out."

Captain Syrup yawned. "Okay, yeah. We're supposed to be blowing up guns, not sitting in science class." She snapped her Thieftech shut and pocketed it. She turned to Denpuu. "Come on. Let's go."

Denpuu laughed. "Yes, Miss Syrup." He leaned forward on is stomach like an airplane."

Captain Syrup jumped onto Denpuu's back and took a firm hold on his collar. "Okay, up we go."

Denpuu laughed as he flew into the air.

As the pirate and the genie flew towards the black fortress, Captain Syrup tapped Denpuu's head. "Okay, big fella, let's see what you've got."

Denpuu nodded. "Well, Miss Syrup, I can fly up by moving the control stick down and down by moving the control stick up."

Captain Syrup crossed her arms, smiled, and nodded. "We'll have to remember not to go too low or too high."

Denpuu smiled. "I can turn side to side by turning the control stick in the direction you want to go."

Captain Syrup rolled her eyes. "Give me an attack. We're coming up on the psycho's keep, and we need to blast those guns."

"Oh, why didn't you just say so." Denpuu held his fingers out in front of him, and they became coated in flame. "By pressing the B button, I can shoot fireballs."

Captain Syrup smiled. "Now that's what I'm talking about." She pointed forward. "Now let's light this party up."

Denpuu laughed as he shot fireballs at the first row of guns.

As they passed, Captain Syrup pounded her fist against Denpuu's back. "Blast! They didn't break."

Denpuu shrugged. "Sorry, Miss Syrup, but we're moving too fast for me to aim properly." He shot more fireballs at the guns on the wall. As they passed them, he snapped his fingers. "Oh, right, by pressing the Z button, I can create a mini-genie who will attack the nearest enemy."

Captain Syrup laughed. "Now that'll be more like it. The more minions, the less work for us."

Denpuu hummed nervously. "Well, they won't last that long."

Captain Syrup patted Denpuu on the head. "As long as they get the job done, it doesn't matter how long they last."

Denpuu nodded. "Very well, Miss Syrup."  
The pirate and the genie turned along with the wall, shooting more fireballs at the guns. Denpuu conjured up a couple of mini-genies, and they flew down and started attacking some of the guns.

Denpuu flew up to divebomb one of the walls, giving him more time to blast the guns with fireballs this led to him flying towards a spotlight.

"Look out!" Captain Syrup tugged Denpuu's head to the side, causing him to turn. "I don't know aobut you, but I'd rather not get shot out of the air with fiery explosions of death."

Denpuu laughed. "My apologies, Miss Syrup. I wasn't thinking."

"Well, the only thing you need to think about is shooting those guns. Just let me think about the turning." Captain Syrup pointed down in the walls. "Now, let's get those turrets!"

Denpuu flew down and started blasting the tar out of the guns. He created a pair of mini-genies and flew on.

Soon, the pair had rounded the walls and were flying around for their second pass. They blasted a couple of the guns on the first wall to pieces and flew on to see that some of the guns on every other wall had been destroyed by the mini-genies.

Denpuu created another pair of mini-genies over one of the less desecrated walls and went on blasting the guns with fireballs.

The pirate and the genie had to go for a third round, finding less guns and blasting them to pieces. This round, the greatly reduced the number of the damaged guns.

As the last gun turret fell under a fireball, Captain Syrup laughed. She pulled out her Thieftech and flipped it open. "Okay, Ghost Boy, we destroyed these guns of yours."

Alboort smiled and nodded. "Great. This means a lot. We couldn't have gotten anywhere with those still functional."

Captain Syrup shrugged. "Ah, it was nothing." She patted Denpuu on top of the head and pointed at the Comet Observatory. "Time to go back, big fella."

Denpuu nodded. "Yes, Miss Syrup." He flew out of Star-Krossed's forcefield.

_Mission complete,_

_signed,_

_-Captain Syrup_

---

Okay, there is some real playing as Captain Syrup, but she plays three different ways: Pirate, genie, and one more. Denpuu is like Iggy's plane, only tougher and quicker on the turns and attacks. He also cannot perform the fancy acrobatics of the plane. Denpuu can be used later by pressing the 2 button.

Anyways, I thought putting Denpuu in was a fun idea. I hope you liked him. By the way, yes, Denpuu is the name of the genie Syrup used to attack Wario.

Please enjoy and review.


	50. Chapter 6 part 4

Chapter 6.4: Star Soup

Ashley stepped out of the front doors of the Comet Observatory. She pulled out her Thieftech and flipped it open. "All right, remind me why I'm out here."

Alboort tapped several keys. "Well, I need you to collect some stars for us."

Ashley raised an eyebrow. "Let me get this straight. You took out the forcefield in what should have been a death-defying battle, if it weren't for the fact that you're a ghost. Captain Syrup was allowed to take out the defenses that were too deadly for everyone else. I get stuck catching stars."

Alboort chuckled nervously. "Well, I admit that it does sound a little weak in comparison, but Star-Krossed supposedly eats these stars, and I believe that he must have some reason for it." He tapped several keys and stared at his computer screen. "We need someone to catch some of the stars closer to the ground, as Captain Syrup and Denpuu would most likely scare the higher stars if they flew up to them."

Ashley pouted, and a vein pulsed severely in her temple. "Like that really is so hard. The stars can't go anyplace. They're practically caught in a giant mosquito net as it is!"

Alboort raised his hands up defensively. "Now, now. It might sound easy, but there is a trick. The stars fly around too fast for any one of us to catch them."

Ashley furrowed her brow. "Then explain to me how I'm supposed to catch them."

Alboort tapped several keys. "Well, do you have those potion packs of yours?"

Ashley pulled a brown paper package out of her backpack. "Yes."

Alboort adjusted his glasses. "You said those things can suck opponents into themselves, right?"

Ashley rolled her eyes and sighed. "Yes."

"Could you do the same with star?"  
Ashley looked at the package. "Well, I would have to remove the potion that's inside them, but yes, I could throw these at stars to catch them."

"Good." Alboort tapped a few keys. "According to my calculations, that clear forcefield is supposed to keep stars inside, but the stars should travel safely back out inside your potion packs. You'll need to collect three stars, so I can make a well-rounded analysis, but you'll have to bring the packs back one at a time."

Ashley sighed. "Whatever." She shut her Thieftech and placed it in her pocket. She took a firm grip on her scepter and, begrudgingly, walked over the bridge to Star-Krossed's keep.

As soon as Ashley walked through the open gate, she found a star flying near the front door of the keep. Sighing, she threw one of her potion packs at it, and the star was caught.

"Oh my. This is difficult." Ashley rolled her eyes. "Please, I've had a harder time cutting my own fingernails." She pointed her scepter at the brown paper package and lifted it into the air. She ran back and threw it at the front doors of the Comet Observatory. She nodded curtly and walked back to the black palace.

It took Ashley a minute or so to find the next star. It was flying around in small circles, like it was playing a game, until Ashley threw one of her potion packs at it. Like the one before it, she simply lifted it up and walked back to the Comet Observatory.

Ashley held a hand to her forehead. "I swear. This, by far, has to be the most idiotic thing I have ever done."

Red appeared in the scepter's crystal. "Are you sure? What about the time that you tried to grow that vicious plant and all you got was a daisy?"

Ashley shrugged the comment off. "Anyone could have made that mistake. This star-catching business, however, is just moronic."

"More moronic than working for Wario?"

Ashley rolled her eyes. "Well, pay is pay." She blsuehd. "I will admit that working with Waluigi is much better, though." She paused and shook the blush off. "But I'm not in the mood for any of your lip right now, so unless you want to end up as the main ingredient in my next potion, I recommend that you shut up."

Red swallowed and disappeared from the crystal without a word.

Ashley blew at a loose strand of hair. "Now it's time to get that last stupid star."

Ashley wandered around a bit, looking for a third star. After several minutes of searching, she found one flying around like a nervous wreck.

Ashley pulled out one of her potion packs. "Here we go." She chucked it as hard as she could.

The star saw the flying package and flew out of the way and out of range.

Ashley snapped her fingers. "Blast!" She pulled out another pack and threw it.

The star dodged the box just like before.

A vein pulsed in Ashley's temple. She raised her scepter and started blasting at the star.

None of the blasts hit the star, but it got completely freaked out and flew around the corner.  
Red reappeared in the scepter's crystal. "What'd you do that for? We're not trying to kill the stars."

Ashley turned around. "You'll see."

As soon as the star rounded the other end of the wall, Ashley threw a potion pack at it and snagged it right out of the air.

Ashley walked over to the sealed potion pack. "These stars are so idiotic." She pointed her scepter at the package and lifted it off the ground.

It didn't take long for Ashley to return to the Comet Observatory, and Alboort met her at the door.

Ashley threw the box into Alboort's hands.

Alboort pushed his glasses up. "Well, thanks, A-"

Ashley shoved her way past Alboort. "Shut up. I have more important projects to attend to than snagging those stupid stars."

Alboort stared blankly after the witch as she stomped deep into the observatory. "Okay." He looked down at the potion pack in his hands. "Now it's time to get to work." He floated off.

_Mission complete,_

_signed,_

_-Ashley and Red_

---

Okay, seriously, I've had Ashley carry around those potions packs and haven't done a single thing with them. Sure, some players would very likely use them in the major brawls Ashley often gets caught up in, but I haven't mentioned them.

Also, if the chapter seems pretty short, that's supposed to be the point, as Ashley is starting to feel pretty snubbed about now.

Please enjoy and review.


	51. Chapter 6 part 5

Chapter 6.5: Puppet Master

Team Waluigi was gathered together in their corner of the Comet Observatory.

Alboort adjusted his projector until the screen lined up neatly on the curved wall. "Okay. Okay. I think we're in business." He floated to the front and held up his button. He clicked it, and a collage of the turret guns and forcefield showed up on the screen. "Okay, we've gotten rid of the ground defenses, so we can make our way into Star-Krossed's keep."

Waluigi looked around. "Hey, where's Ashley?"

Alboort pushed his glasses up. "She said she'd be busy for a while." He clicked the button, and a picture of a spotlight showed up on the screen. "Now, we need to get rid of these. If we want to free all the stars, we'll need use of the skies, and these are blocking our way."

Waluigi held his chin. "Well, I saw those walls while I was out there taking pictures. They're like marble, and there aren't any chains or ropes for me to climb up."

Alboort nodded. "We're definitely going to need to send someone else out to take care of the spotlights."

Roy chuckled cruelly and pumped both his arms. "Don't worry. I can take care of those stupid electric tin cans, and I can climb straight up even the smoothest walls."

Alboort smiled uneasily. "Well, I do admit that you do seem qualified." He swallowed and laughed nervously. "Maybe a little overqualified." He tapped the spotlight on the screen. "You see, I've analyzed the electrical schematics, and as soon as you even tried to rip one apart, it would explode, sending both it and you to kingdom come."

Roy leaned back in his chair, grumbling.

Captain Syrup tapped her chin in thought. "Say, isn't that Ashley girl a witch or something?"

Waluigi nodded. "Yeah. I'm sure she wouldn't mind blasting those things apart. She didn't seem all that happy with her last mission."

Alboort shrugged. "Well, I'm sure she would love it. Unfortunately, these spotlights are far too high up for her to aim properly. And like you said, there are no means for her to climb any higher and blast them."

Iggy nodded as he stood up. He walked to the front. "Actually, Alboort and I have discussed it, and I have been able to create a little something that can help us." He took hold of his chin and frowned. "Unfortunately, we still lack someone to operate it."

Alboort pushed his glasses up. "Actually, there is only one person who can operate it. Fortunately, the two observatories, though connected, have continued to float through space and are approaching Star Road."

"Star Road?" Toadsworth adjusted his spectacles. "I dare say, that is serious. Who knows what havoc could be caused if that Star-Krossed gets near there."

"I'm glad you're concerned." Alboort pointed at Toadsworth. "Because we need you to go and ask for our warrior's services."

Toadsworth's eyes widened. "Well, I'm not a real penchant at pep talks, but I'll see what I can do."

Alboort nodded. "That's all we need." He clicked the button, and a star pillar appeared on the screen. "Then, we'll need to destroy these. Stars will be pulled in by the hundreds as long as these are functional." He clicked the button, and the star showed up. "Speaking of stars, destroying Star-Krossed's security is just the start. We'll need Funky Kong to go in and save some of the stars."

Funky Kong gave the Boo and pair of thumbs up. "Wicked, dude! Saving the stars is totally rad." He paused and scratched his head. "Oh, wait, how am I supposed to do that?"

Iggy's glasses glinted as he snickered. "Don't worry. I've modified more than the van, like, let's say, your surfboard."

Waluigi raised his hand. "Okay, but do you have any idea why Star-Krossed wants these stars."

Alboort furrowed his brow. "Well, I was able to compare the captured stars to some of the old archives. It seems that these stars provide temporary invincibility just by touching them. That is, if they decide to grant it. Ingesting such a star could, in theory, provide immortality." He pushed up his glasses. "Of course, it needs to be renewed, so stealing the stars is very likely to agitate Star-Krossed."

"That is, if he even exists." Ludwig crossed his arms. "I do not know about you, but I find very curious that ve have not seen this Star-Krossed."

Wendy nodded. "Yeah. Whenever somebody so much as breaks one of King dad's security systems, you can bet that he isn't sitting back, enjoying the view."

Alboort tugged on his bowtie. "Well, I'm not sure." He cleared his throat and furrowed his brow. "But now is not the time to question. Now is the time to act. If it turns out that there is no Star-Krossed, then that makes out job all the easier."

---

Toadsworth stepped out of the Comet Observatory's doors. He looked around before pulling out his Thieftech and opening it. "I say, Master Alboort. The view is marvelous out here."

Alboort nodded. "I'm glad you like it." He tapped a few keys. "Now, according to my scanners, Star Road should be to the left of your current position."

Toadsworth turned to his left. He looked up a path that was made of massive gold star tiles. "By my grandfather's marmalade. I've never seen anything so grand in all my life."

Alboort pushed his glasses up. "I realize that it must be very pretty to you, but I don't mind reminding you that you do have a job."

Toadsworth cleared his throat. "Ah, quite right. So, how will I be able to identify this chap of yours?"

Alboort tapped several keys. "Well, he shouldn't be too hard to find, seeing how he is one of the few white stars." He clicked on his mouse. "However, be careful and make sure that you don't fall off of those star panels. We don't need you drifting around in space."

Toadsworth nodded. "Very well." He raised his staff up in the air. "Tally-ho! Off I go!" He shut his Thieftech and put it away. He adjusted his spectacles and ran for Star Road.

Toadsworth had to jump over several stars, but he soon found a white star. He walked over and tapped it on the head. "Pardon me, young man, but would you happen to be Geno?"

The star turned around and stared at Toadsworth. "Maybe. What's it to ya?"

Toadsworth jumped back. "Well, dear boy, me and my crew happen to be in need of your assistance."

Geno raised an eyebrow. "Assistance." He curled his two side points into a pair of fists. "Is it Smithy? Did that insane creep come back to make trouble?"

Toadsworth jumped back. _My word. This Smithy fellow certainly seems to have gotten Geno riled up._ He scratched his chin. _Should I make use of this and tell him that Smithy is attacking? Or maybe I should calm him down first. Then again, it might be better to inform him that someone else is coming to attack the stars._

Geno furrowed his brow. "Well, what's going on, old man?"

Well, with how pressed for time we are, I suppose lying about this Smithy person may not prove advantageous. But losing this ferocity could also prove disadvantageous. Toadsworth cleared his throat. "No, Master Geno, I', afraid that there is no Smithy attacking."

Geno crossed his side points. "Then what do you need help with?"

"Someone by the name of Star-Krossed is coming this way." Toadsworth sighed. "I'm afraid that he will be a lot worse than this Smithy fellow ever was."

"Star-Krossed?" Geno raised an eyebrow. "What's so scary about Star-Krossed? It sounds like the title of some old-fashioned romance movie."

"Well, Princess Rosalina certainly seems to think him a threat." Toadsworth adjusted his spectacles. "According to her, he eats stars."

"Eats stars!" Geno curled a pair of fists and fumed. "This I cannot allow. It's completely uncool, and the stars are supposed to be for everyone. I can't allow some psycho to go around, taking all of the stars for himself."

"So you'll help us?"

Geno crossed his side points and looked up in thought. "Well, I would love too, but I'm not exactly ready for a fight. You know?"

Toadsworth scratched his chin. "I do believe that Master Alboort and Master Iggy happen to have something that can solve that."

Geno raised both eyebrows. "I'll be the judge of that."

---

A little while later, Geno stepped out of the front doors of the Comet Observatory. Instead of a white star, he was now a machine with a lanky, solid built, brown body. A blue cape with a folded down gold collar hung from his neck, and two red bangs stuck out from under his blue hat.

Geno stretched his arms up and back. "Well, this is going to take some getting used to." He pulled out a blue, star-shaped Thieftech. "Okay, so what is it you guys want me to do?"

Iggy pushed his glasses up on his face. "Well, for starters, I hope that you like your new form."

Geno examined his new body. "Yes, it is quite nice. Familiar, but with a feeling of enhanced style."

Iggy nodded. "I used all the notes I could get from my father to recreate your structure, including attack programs, such as your Geno Rocket Punch, Geno Whirl, and Geno Flash."

Geno held his arm out. "Let me guess, I simply press the B button to perform the Rocket Punch, and the Z button for Geno Whirl."

Iggy smiled. "Exactly! You're the ultimate engine for long distance battles." His glasses glinted. "Here's a tip, your Geno Rocket Punch move takes some time after you've shot your fists off, but they'll harm anything in their way." He flipped through a couple pages in his notebook. "Also, if you hold down the Z button, a meter will show up beside you that will measure the power of your Geno Whirl. Releasing the Z button at just the right time will create an unstoppable attack."

Geno nodded. "Yo, that's cool and all. But to be honest, I thought I was out here to destroy some spotlights, not blast enemies."

Iggy pushed his glasses up and chuckled nervously. "Right." He flipped a page in his notebook. "Well, by pressing the 2 button, you will turn into a cannon for your Geno flash attack. After turning into a cannon, you can use the control stick to aim and the B button to fire. Holding down the B button should increase the power of the blast. This spotlights are tough, and I'm sure they'll respond to attack, so either charge up as best as you can or shoot as fast as you can. Otherwise, you might end up with a missile in your new face. But be careful, charge too long, and you could hurt yourself."

"Gotcha!" Geno looked up at Star-Krossed's keep. "So, about how many of these things are there?"

"There should be about six. They're pretty large, so I don't think it'd be easy for you to miss."

"Okay. I'm on it." Geno flipped the Thieftech shut and ran over to Star-Krossed's courtyard. He jumped up and turned into a giant blue and brown cannon with a star-shaped nozzle.

"Okay, control stick to aim." Cannon Geno moved about on its pivoting base until it was aimed at one of the spotlights. "And hold down B to charge up the attack."

A massive white beam blasted from Cannon Geno's nozzle and clean through the fractured spotlight. A brief explosion occurred afterwards.

Cannon Geno pivoted and charged another attack, blowing up another spotlight.

Before he could destroy any more spotlights, Geno had to revert to normal form and run to a new location. It didn't take him long to destroy the remaining spotlights.

Geno pulled out his Thieftech. "Yo, you want that I should go teach this Star-Krossed guy a lesson."

Iggy shook his head. "Not right now. We want him to come out and face us. We have no idea what it's like inside that building."

"'Kay. So you want me to come back to the Comet Observatory?"

Iggy nodded. "Even though you're inside a machine, you're still a star, and we don't want to risk prolonged exposure to all that anti-star technology."

Geno nodded sagely. "Makes sense." His eyes flicked open. "All right. I'm on my way." He flipped his Thieftech shut and ran towards the Comet Observatory.

_Mission complete,_

_signed,_

_-Toadsworth_

_-Geno_

---

Super Mario RPG fans rejoice! I am brining back Geno. Seriously, who did you think was going to join the team, Rosalina? A luma? Seriously, I needed some cosmic entity that would make sense, and Geno, being a Star Guardian, fits the bill.

Also, whereas Geno used to just be a doll, this mechanical form is at least as tall as Mario or Luigi.

Okay, enjoy and review.


	52. Chapter 6 part 6

Chapter 6.6: Vampire Rising

Waluigi stepped out of the front doors of the Comet Observatory. He pulled out his Thieftech. "Um, Alboort, what exactly am I doing out here?"

Alboort pushed his glasses up. "Well, we need you to take out the star pillars."

Waluigi flinched. "Are you crazy! Even with my triple jump technique, it's far too high! Why don't you get Geno or Ashley to do it?"

"That wouldn't work. The star pillars are made to create a magnetic force." Alboort tapped several keys. "The energy fields they create would null any energy attacks. And Funky Kong's Funky Bazooka is nowhere near strong enough to do any physical sort of damage."

Waluigi scratched the back of his head. "Then what about Roy? I'm sure he'd smash the pillars to pieces without any argument."

Alboort shook his head. "Roy would be too messy. We want to weaken the magnetic powers of these pillars, and Roy's way would... well, it could lead to some disastrous electrical accidents." He clicked on his mouse. "No, we need someone who can destroy these things quickly, primarily around the stars at the top. That's where all the power is kept, so they're the prime target."

Waluigi shrugged and pointed out at the star pillars. "Look, Alboort, I stood right next to one of these things. It's way too wide and thick to shimmy straight up, and there isn't even a ladder or ledges to climb up." He waved his free hand around in the air. "How the heck am I supposed to destroy those things! It's impossible!"

"It was impossible." Alboort adjusted his glasses. "You know that project that Ashley was working on?"

Waluigi raised an eyebrow. "What about it?"

"Check in your pack."

Waluigi fished in his pack. "Let's see. Whip, eggplants, costumes, baseball bat, tennis racket..." He frowned. "What the heck am I looking f-" He paused and pulled out a small candy in a green wrapper. "What the heck?" He raised the candy to eye level. "Wait, this can't be what I think it is."

Waluigi quickly unwrapped the candy and threw it into his mouth. In a matter of minutes, his skin turned a dusty gray, and his eyes turned bright yellow. His canines began to extend from his mouth as a pair of wings grew out of his back.

As the transformation ended, Vampire Waluigi groaned. "Wow. Those Vampire Candies." He chuckled. "What a rush!"

"Well, there's more to the Vampire Candy than just a simple sugar rush and a new look." Alboort tapped several keys. "You can now jump up to five times, each jump nearly one and a half times as high as before. On top of that, your attacks are now four times as strong as before."

Vampire Waluigi smirked. "Okay, so now you want me to just jump up and use Whirl-Luigi to blast those star pillars apart."

Alboort adjusted his glasses. "You do remember how to use Whirl-Luigi, right?"

"Yeah, I just have to jump up in the air and press the Z butto- AH!" Vampire Waluigi reverted back to normal. "What happened?"

"Ah right." Alboort tapped a couple of keys. "Ashley did mention that these candies' effects are highly temporary, so you're going to have to try to attack as quickly as you can after transforming. You're going to want to reach the tops of those star pillars while you can still break them, and you'll lose far too much height if you tried eating one in mid-air."

"Well, that makes sense." Waluigi scratched the back of his head. "But what doesn't make sense is why Ashley would give these candies to me."

Alboort raised his eyebrows. "What do you mean?"

"Well, I like them and all, and they certainly are the only way I could do this mission." Waluigi scratched his ear and looked up at the sky. "But truth be told, if anyone needs a physicality boost, it's Ashley." He blushed and gawked. "What I mean is that she doesn't exactly have any real physical strength."

Alboort shrugged. "I don't really know what to say. She told me that she made them for you."

Waluigi held his chin. "Well, speaking of Ashley, is it just me, or has she been acting strangely lately."

"Well, she's definitely more aggressive than usual." Alboort sighed. "I don't know. I'm just a Boo and a computer expert. I don't talk to her that often, so I don't know why she's having problems."

Waluigi sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Listen, I'm just going to go take care of these star pillars for now. This Star-Krossed business is just nuts as far as I can see."

"Look, it's business, so getting things done is the best choice you can make." Alboort slumped back int his chair, rubbing his temples. "Just tell me when you're done."

Waluigi flipped his Thieftech shut and stuck it in his pocket. "Okay. Let's get his over with." He ran over to Star-Krossed's keep.

As Waluigi approached the clear forcefield around Star-Krossed's palace, he turned to the side, for the star pillars were on the outside of the forcefield.

As Waluigi ran up to the first star pillar, he pulled out a Vampire Candy and popped it into his mouth. He jumped up multiple times, using his new wings to boost himself up into the air. As he approached the star, he began to spin rapidly, breaking the glowing beacon into millions of shards.

Almost as soon as Waluigi had broken the star, he returned to normal. He quickly began swimming in the air to reduce his fall. As he landed on the ground, he looked back up. "Wow. When Alboort says temporary, he means temporary." He turned and ran on to the next star pillar.

As he came to the next pillar's base, he pulled out a Vampire Candy. "Okay. Not too soon and not too late." He popped the candy into his mouth and jumped up as soon as he had transformed. He quickly performed Whirl-Luigi and shattered the next star.

Waluigi went on to bust up three more star pillars with little difficulty. The shards shattered around him like golden rain as he swam his way to safety.

As he approached the last star pillar, Waluigi panted. "Hoo boy. I'm just not used to transforming this often. It's a lot more tiring than I expected." He looked up at the the star pillar. "Ah well, at least this is the last one." He pulled out a Vampire Candy and shoved it in his mouth. As he transformed, he jumped up to the top of the pillar. He smashed the last star beacon with a Whirl-Luigi.

As Waluigi landed on the ground, he pulled out his Thieftech. "Okay, Alboort, the star pillars are taken care of." He looked up. "Oh no."

Alboort tapped several keys and pushed his glasses up his face. "Oh, don't worry about that star tower on the top of Star-Krossed's palace. That's the main source of the forcefield's power. We don't want to destroy that just yet."

Waluigi smiled. "Oh good." He panted. "Look, when I come back to the observatory. I'm going to need to talk to Ashley. Those candies are good, but they definitely need more calories or something. They just sap too much energy."

"You do that." Alboort tugged on his bowtie. "But let me be the first one to say that I'm not going to step in the middle of that mine field. Seriously, I'm a ghost, and I'm worried that she'd kill me."

"Ah, whatever." Waluigi pulled off his hat and smoothed back his hair. "Look, if nothing else, could I at least get a nap before we actually attack Star-Krossed?"

Alboort shrugged. "I don't see why not."

"Okay. I'm coming back now." Waluigi flipped his Thieftech shut and ran back to the Comet Observatory.

_Mission complete,_

_signed,_

_-Waluigi_

---

Okay, who was expecting the Vampire Candy? I always thought Waluigi looked the best with the Vampire Candy (Mario just looks funny). However, I made the transformation a little more extensive since they were made by a witch instead of a candy company.

I had fun doing this. I hope the idea makes since to you guys.

Please enjoy and review.


	53. Chapter 6 part 7

Chapter 6.7: Star Surfing

Funky Kong walked out of the Comet Observatory doors. He pulled out his Thieftech. "All right, dude. What do you want me to do?"

Alboort adjusted his glasses. "Well, as you'll see, Iggy Koopa has added a small make-shift rocket to the bottom of your surfboard."

Funky Kong flipped his surfboard upside-down. "Yeah. What's that there for, dude?"

Alboort tapped a few keys. "Well, we need you fly up and save some of the stars that are still trapped inside that forcefield."

"Killer! A rescue mission and insane air!" Funky Kong laughed and flipped his surfboard into the air. "Totally wicker stuff!" He paused. "Oh. Hey. Kiff? Some?"

Alboort shrugged. "Well, thirty may sound like a lot, but there has to be several hundred stars in there."

Funky Kong scratched the top of his head. "Wait. Why do you want me to only save thirty?"

Alboort tapped several keys. "Well, I know it might sound weird, but we need only thirty stars to help us power up the Comet Observatory, so we can escape the energy attaching it to Star-Krossed's keep."

Funky Kong jumped. "What? You want me to grab some stars just so we can grind them up for an engine?" He frowned and crossed his arms. "Bogus, dude."

"Of course not. We have no reason to kill stars. It won't benefit us after any fashion, and it's an easy way to make enemies." Alboort clicked on his mouse. "We just simply stick them inside a special crystal, and it's like cows with a milk machine."

"Oh, I get it now. All natural energy. Now that's the way to be, dude." Funky placed his surfboard beneath his feet."

Alboort tapped a few keys. "Now, the controls for your movement differ slightly from usual. For example, by pressing the A button, you can start your rocket engines to fly ahead quickly. Also, we know you can't go backwards on your surfboard, but by pushing the control stick down, you can fly up, and by pressing the control stick up, you go down."

"Sounds easy enough." Funky Kong raised his foot to step on the button at the rear of his board.

"Hold on a minute." Alboort tapped several keys quickly. "You see, the problem is that the rocket booster attached to your board will move you too fast for you to turn, so you'll have to stop boosting in order to turn. It was the only way you could catch the stars at the speed they fly. You'll have to make it fast, though, or else you'll end up splatting on the ground."

Funky Kong raised both eyebrows. "Woah. That would not be cool, dude."

"No, it wouldn't." Alboort tapped several keys. "Now, you'll need to press the Z button to grab stars and press it a second time to stick it in that glass pack on your back. Be careful that you're not holding a star when you come up to the forcefield, or you could experience some very uncool voltage."  
Funky Kong cringed. "Yikes. Tanks for the heads-up, dude."

Alboort nodded. "Okay, thirty stars, and you're done. I know that your freedom-loving spirit will tempt you to try to catch more, but you're just going to have to be patient. We'll free them all soon enough."

"Okay, dude." Funky Kong raised his foot again. "Now, it's time for me to catch some air." He flipped his Thieftech shut and put it away. He stepped on the throttle and sped towards Star-Krossed's keep.

Funky Kong held his head as he sped forward. "Woah. Now this is what I call a ride!" As he approached the black palace walls, he aimed up to avoid the building.

Funky Kong caught his first few stars without much difficulty. The sky was so full of them, it would have been harder not to catch one.

As he approached the edge of the forcefield, he stopped and turned. He dropped a bit, but he made up for it with his next pass, raising high into the air.

Funky Kong had caught about sixteen by the end of his second pass. He paused his rocket and turned as fast as he could, speeding forward as soon as he had turned.

It only took a few more passes for Funky Kong to catch all the stars he needed.

Funky Kong patted the glass pack on his back. "Woah. It's starting to feel really full back there. No wonder the smart dude only wanted me to snag thirty." He stopped his rocket and turned back to the Comet Observatory. He boosted only slight distances at a time.

As Funky Kong touched the ground, he paddled his way over to the edge of the forcefield. He paused and turned back to look at the stars. "Stay cool, little dudes! We'll quick you guys free and safe in no time!"

The stars stared questioningly down at the Kong.

Funky Kong turned back to the Comet Observatory. "Better get you little dudes back to the smart dude. He'll know what to do with ya." He paddled his way out of the forcefield.

_Mission complete,_

_signed,_

_-Funky Kong_

---

Yes, more sky work. I needed Funky Kong to do something, though the Koopalings won't really do anything in this chapter (space just isn't an advantageous arena for Koopas).

I'm sorry if it sounds as though I'm abusing flying, but it's just for this chapter.

I'm also sorry for the shortness of this chapter, but this has to be one of the most straightforward missions in the entire game.

Anyways, enjoy and review.


	54. Chapter 6 part 8

Chapter 6.8: Operation: Falling Star

Alboort gathered Team Waluigi back in their meeting room. After everyone was seated, he set up his projector and floated up to the front. "Okay, okay, people. We've taken down all the defenses and have the Comet Observatory set up to leave Star-Krossed's keep in the dust." He clicked the button, and a mixed picture of a star pillar and a star showed up on the screen. "Now, all we need is for Waluigi to jump up to the top of the black palace and break apart this last star pillar."

Waluigi held his hands up. "Wait, wait, wait. I have one slight problem with this."

Ashley leaned towards Waluigi. "If it's about the Vampire Candy, I added more sugar to this batch. Not only do they have no calories, but the brief energy burst should kept you up and going for as long as you need."

Waluigi rubbed Ashley's hair and pushed her back a bit. "That's not what I meant." He turned to Alboort. "What about the vault? You always go in to bust open some vault."

"Ah, right." Alboort pushed his glasses up his face. "You see, I checked the electrical schematics for Star-Krossed's, and there doesn't seem to be a single vault in all its entirety."

Waluigi gaped at Alboort. "No vault? There's always a vault!"

Alboort shrugged and tugged lightly on his bowtie. "Well, I guess Star-Krossed just cares more about stars than gold."

Wendy popped up from the back. "What kind of idiot would care more about stars than gold!"

Roy nodded. "Seriously, this guy must be a lunatic."

Ludwig laced his fingers together. "That is, if he even exists."

"All right. All right. Clam down!" Alboort took a deep breath. "Now, I realize that this all must sound strange, but let's focus here." He paused for everyone to quiet down. "Thank you." He slapped the screen. "Now, Waluigi will go up and break apart the last star pillar. This will, inevitably, destroy the final forcefield around Star-Krossed's castle, freeing all the stars so they can fly away."

Funky Kong jumped from his chair. "Radical! Let's totally go and free the little dudes from that bogus prison."

Alboort frowned. "Funky, sit down."

Funky Kong sat down, rubbing the back of his head. "Sorry, smart dude."

Alboort nodded. "Right, now, after this happens, I predict one of two events occur. Either Star-Krossed comes out, and we'll have to fight for our lives; or there is no Star-Krossed, and we can leave this place. Either way, we should be able to blast off in the end."

Iggy adjusted his glasses. "Unfortunately, with Star-Krossed as a cosmic being, he isn't attached to any circuits, meaning that there is no proof for or against his existence."

Alboort nodded. "This also means that we have no idea what Star-Krossed is like." He turned and pointed at Captain Syrup. "Which is exactly why we need you to go as Waluigi's back-up."

Captain Syrup laid a hand on her well-developed, and her eyes grew wide. "Me?"

Ashley jumped from her seat. "Wouldn't it be better if I went? I have more experience at fighting, and we have no idea if Captain Syrup can even fight."

Alboort shook his head. "No, we can't send you. As far as we know, Star-Krossed could be thirty feet tall and magicproof."

Geno raised his hand. "Yo, Alboort. I don't want to sound pushy or anything, but I think I should be the one to help fight Star-Krossed." He bowed his head sagely. "It is my home he has threatened, after all."

"A very heroic sentiment, I'm sure." Alboort crossed his arms. "Unfortunately, we can't do that. You may have a body of metal, but you are still a star being. You would be in the most danger out of anyone we could send out."

Geno sighed. "True, as a star, I suppose going up against someone who eats stars, like Star-Krossed, would be foolish." He flicked his eyes up. "The one thing which I don't understand is why someone would eat stars. I've never heard of such an event before."

Toadsworth crossed his arms and nodded. "True. I've seen stars used in a variety of ways, but never have I seen anyone eat one."

Alboort shrugged. "I can't say why, and I can't say how. All I know is that, if Star-Krossed does exist, that we need to get rid of him."

Ashley huffed. "That still doesn't explain why you would send Captain Syrup out."

Alboort held his chin. "Well, I can't exactly calculate what a battle with Star-Krossed would be like, so out best bet would be to send in someone quick, lithe, and a good enough distraction until Waluigi can come in and finish him off. Fortunately, Captain Syrup has a very similar body structure to Waluigi, so she should be able to dodge for a while. The fact that she cam fly around on Denpuu is a bonus, as it will be sure to hold Star-Krossed's attention."

Ashley sat back down. "Well, I guess that makes sense."

Alboort nodded. "Okay, everyone, this is a straightforward job. We're in, we're out. Just make sure your buckled in when we decide to blast off."

The rest of the nodded in response.

---

Waluigi stepped out of the Comet Observatory. He pulled out his Thieftech. "Okay, Alboort, so you just want me to climb up that building and break apart that last star pillar."

Alboort nodded. "Just be careful, Captain Syrup will be standing by if any trouble arises, but those walls are almost unrealistically smooth."

"Okay." Waluigi flipped his Thieftech shut and ran towards the black palace.  
Captain Syrup walked out of the Comet Observatory. She pulled out her Thieftech and raised an eyebrow. "Okay, Alboort, if Waluigi hasn't broken the star pillar yet, then what am I doing out here?"

Alboort tapped several keys. "Ashley brought up a very good point. You don't have a lot of fighting under your belt."

Captain Syrup raised her free hand defensively. "Okay, if this is about losing to Wario, I had never fought a suicidal maniac who charged into everything head first before."  
Alboort shook his head and clicked on his mouse. "No, it's more like how you fought Wario. You always used some special weapon or other to attack him while you watched from the sidelines."

"Oh, I get it." Captain Syrup unslung a sword from her belt. "You think I can't fight myself, and you want to train me." She furrowed her brow and smirked. "Well, I just want to tell you that I am completely capable of fighting."

Alboort pushed up his glasses. "Then let's see what you've got."

Captain Syrup spun the sword in her hand. "Well, I prefer using the twin swords fighting style. Pressing the B button cuases me to swing one of my swords, and pressing it several times in a row quickly allows me to use a pretty effective combo."

"Okay." Alboort tapped a couple of keys. "I'll send out a Trainer-Bot now, so we can see how you use those swords."

"All right." Captain Syrup shut her Thieftech. She turned to see a Trainer-Bot walk out of the observatory's doors. She ran up and sliced it with her right sword. She slashed with her left and spun quickly, striking the Trainer-Bot with both swords, slashing it to pieces. She pulled out her Thieftech. "How was that?"

Alboort nodded. "Well, that's good, but I think it will take a few more tricks to fool a cosmic being like Star-Krossed."

Captain Syrup switched up her swords so they were in the same hand. "Well, by pressing the Z button, I can juggle opponents with my sword. It's only good against a single enemy, but it can deal a lot of damage without giving them an opportunity to attack." She began spinning the two swords in her one hand. "And by pressing the B button after throwing a foe in the air, I can bring down a sword on top of them for my deadly Guillotine move." She caught the swords and placed her hand on her hip. "It's even more impressive in the fact that I don't have to sneak up on an opponent to use it."

Alboort nodded. "That does sound pretty good." He tapped a couple more keys. "Let's see that Guillotine move used on this new Trainer-bot."

Captain Syrup sighed. "Fine." She flipped her Thieftech shut and put it away. She raised her swords as the she faced the next Trainer-Bot. She ran over and scooped the machine up with one sword and caught it by the next with the other. She smashed it to pieces on the ground. She reached in and her pocket and pulled out a vibrating Thieftech.

Alboort smiled. "That Guillotine move is pretty effective. You only attacked the Trainer-Bot, but I felt it all the way in here."

Captain Syrup Syrup laughed. "That's my style. Are you impressed yet."

Alboort tapped several keys and stared at his computer screen. "Well, I have been able to examine your body structure, and I can tell that, even though you can only double jump, you can walk on ropes and ledges like Waluigi."

Captain Syrup looked around. "Well, I'm sorry to disappoint you, but there isn't much along the lines of playground equipment around here."

"I know." Alboort pushed his glasses up his face. "Rather, I need to know what you can do up in the air."

Captain Syrup flipped her swords around in her hand. "Well, after jumping, I can press the B button to perform by Pillage Plunge attack." She shrugged. "It's not exactly as strong as Waluigi's Earthquake Stomp, but enemies in range will lose balance for a few seconds." She looked up at the sky. "Or I could press the Z button to perform Sword Swirl. It's not fast, but it is powerful to take out most airborne enemies." She smirked. "Also, by holding the Z button, I can glide for great distances. And I can always press the 2 button to summon Denpuu."

Alboort nodded. "Well, we're a little pressed for time, so I just want you to show me that Sword Swirl technique. We don't know if Star-Krossed can fly or not." He tapped a few keys. "Try to attack this Propeller-Bot I'm sending out." He disappeared from the screen.  
Captain Syrup stuck her Thieftech in her pocket and looked up. As soon as the Propeller-Bot came out, she jumped up a couple times and turned quickly. The small robot didn't even stand a chance.

As she landed on the ground, Captain Syrup pulled out her Thieftech and smiled. "Am I good, or am I good?"

"I would have to say you're good." Alboort tapped a few keys. "Listen, I just want you to get into position. I need to go check on Waluigi."

Captain Syrup sighed and shrugged. "Very well." She flipped her Thieftech shut and stuck it in her pocket. She looked towards Star-Krossed's keep and buckled her swords. She laughed and ran towards the black palace.

---

Waluigi stood on the top of Star-Krossed's keep. He looked up at the pillar and pulled out his vibrating Thieftech. "Okay, Alboort, I hear you, and I'm in position."  
Alboort adjusted his glasses. "Good. Now, timing is going to be crucial like with the other star pillars, but I want to tell you to exercise extreme caution. Not only will you have to come back down from the crushed pillar, but you're going to be caught in the midst of hundreds of fleeing stars."

Waluigi waved the comment off. "Alboort, don't worry. I crushed other star pillars, I can crush this one."

"Okay, but again, be careful." Alboort disappeared form the screen.

"Right." Waluigi flipped his Thieftech shut and pocketed it. He reached into his pack and pulled out a Vampire Candy. He popped it into his mouth and jumped up as soon as the transformation was complete. He flapped his wings until he was right next to the star. He twisted his torso and span forward with a Whirl-Luigi. He began swimming his way through the air.

As the fragments of the star pillar fell to the ground, the forcefield began to ripple. It soon faded completely, and the trapped stars all started blasting straight up.

Waluigi was bumped by several stars as he swam. "Stupid stars. I can't see what's going on down on the ground.

Suddenly, the whole black castle began to quake.

Waluigi raised his eyebrows. "Somehow, I don't think that's supposed to happen."

Star-Krossed's keep blew up into massive chunks, flying in all directions. Some bounced off of Rosalina's forcefield. Others flew into off into space.

Waluigi held his hands out and grabbed onto a flying chunk to shield himself. He groaned and pinched the bridge of his nose as he floated up. "Oh, this is going to be fun."

On the ground, Captain Syrup had shielded her head and body with her hands. As the debris stopped flying past her, she lowered her arms and looked around. Castle, walls, towers, pillars, everything was gone. The only thing left was a curled mass of blue.

After a moment, the blue wad began to shuffle. It slowly stood up to reveal that it was someone in a blue cloak. A gold star was printed on the front of the midnight blue cloak. As the head raised up, three star-like points stood over a high collar. Several golden bangs fell over the right eye of the humanoid face. A black star shape snuck out on the cheek beneath the bangs, and a red star shape was printed over his left eye.

Captain Syrup crept up to the creature slowly. "Um, hello? Are you Star-Krossed."

The creature's left eye shot open. The red star began to glow as the eye widened. After a moment, he shut his eye again. "Human, presumably primitive from the waves you give off."

Captain Syrup raised an eyebrow. "Um, right." She spun her finger in the air. "If you are Star-Krossed, I know quite a few people who would appreciate it if you stopped eating stars."

"Very primitive indeed." The creature, presumably Star-Krossed, opened his eye again. He wasn't looking at Captain Syrup, though. He was staring off into space. "I must have passed through a time thread." He sighed. "How could this have happened."

"Time thread?" Captain Syrup placed her hands on her hips. "Right. I think something's wrong with you."

"Something is wrong with me." Star-Krossed turned towards Captain Syrup. "But not in the sense as you understand."

Both of Captain Syrup's eyebrows shot up. "Right. I still don't understand what's up with you."

Star-Krossed shook his head solemnly. "No human from your time could understand." A shadowy hand extended from the star on his robe, and he looked up in the sky. "You know, when a star dies, it becomes stardust. All life, including humans, has a little stardust in it."

Captain Syrup rocked back and forth on her feet. "Right. I have no idea how to respond to that."

The shadowy hand clenched itself into a large fist, and Star-Krossed closed his visible eye. "However, as old stars give new life, there will eventually be those who take it."

Captain Syrup pointed oddly at Star-Krossed. "Well, I know everyone's going to die."

Star-Krossed took a deep breath. "My kind is not yet to rule. Instead, we live in the distant future." His hand raised up to the starry sky. "At least, I think that is how it is. Either that, or I am in a distant galaxy I have never heard of."

Captain Syrup tilted her head to one side. "Yeah. I don't understand a single thing you're saying. I'm just supposed to tell you to stop eating stars."

"Eating stars?" Star-Krossed nodded sagely. "Yes, I suppose you don't understand that. You probably think that I eat stars just to gain immortality." The shadowy hand curled into a fist, and he placed it against his forehead. "So primitive. So naive." He chuckled slowly, shaking his head. "I am merely the perfection created by time." He pointed at the Comet Observatory. "You see, at one time, I, too, was a Luma. However, when I evolved, I evolved into something much greater than a star or planet or galaxy." He stared at Captain Syrup. "I am a Galaxy Eater, the most powerful of all beings and the natural predator of stars."

Captain Syrup looked off to the side. "Yeah, I'm sure that's probably important in your gallaxy or whatever, but we just don't eat stars around here."

"So you wish to challenge nature?" Star-Krossed chuckled in an unusually loud and low voice. "So amusing. But I understand your human thoughts." He sighed. "For I am not simply a Galaxy Eater. While evolving, a human touched me. We melded together and became an elite even among the Galaxy Eaters." He nodded sagely. "In fact, the human part of me was what wanted that palace created. You must have thought that the defenses were up to keep people out. Actually, it was to keep me in, allowing me to eat stars without hurting anyone."

Captain Syrup's eyes grew wide. "Wait. You were supposed to be kept inside that thing?" She laughed nervously. "Well, isn't this going to be funny to tell the rest of the gang."

The red star on Star-Krossed's face began glowing a vicious red. "Oh, I'm afraid that's not going to happen." His shadowy hand snaked its way around his body and stood menacingly over his head like a snake. "You see, I never wanted to hurt anyone, but I can not forgive you for your demolition practice." Several star-shaped energy pulses floated his head rainbow-style. "For that, you will pay!" White laser beams blasted from the stars surrounding his head.

Captain Syrup dodged through the beams until she was free from the cage of light. She ran toward the galactic being, dodging from side to side as beams of light shot past her. When she got near enough, she began swinging her swords viciously.

After a moment of being attacked directly, Star-Krossed furrowed his brow. The shadowy hand that extended from his body shot down at the pirate.

Captain Syrup jumped out of the way last second. She lowered her sword and began to juggle him in the air.

Before Captain Syrup could perform a Guillotine attack, Star-Krossed flew up into the air. The stars around his head began to glow brighter, and his hand glowed a vicious purple. Several beams of starlight blasted down at the ground.

Captain Syrup ran out of the way of the beams. As she ran, she pulled out her lamp. "Okay, Denpuu, let's get going."

Denpuu popped out of the lamp. "Okay, Miss Syrup."

Captain Syrup jumped onto Denpuu's back. The two of them flew up until they were about level with Star-Krossed. The pirate turned the genie to shoot fireballs at the galactic being, but they got shot just as often.

Captain Syrup cringed. "This isn't working." She rubbed the lamp. "Go back, Denpuu. This isn't a job for you."

Denpuu groaned against the beams. "Very well, Miss Syrup." He turned into smoke and flew into the lamp.

Captain Syrup landed on the ground and jumped out of the way of one of the starlight beams. She ran through the attacks and was soon beneath Star-Krossed. She jumped up and Sword Swirled at the star-eyed warrior. As she landed, she dodged a couple more beams and jumped up to Sword Swirl again.

After Star-Krossed had been hit by several Sword Swirls, he lowered himself to the ground. His hand became even more ominous. It swept over the ground, smashing the remaining pebbles and rocks.

Captain Syrup jumped over the hand and ran forward. On top of the beams, she had to continue dodging the hand. When she got close, she slashed savagely. She had to keep jumping and running side to side to avoid the shadowy hand.

Soon, Star-Krossed doubled over. "So, this is you power." He chuckled. "How curious." He suddenly snapped up straight, and his hand ensnared Captain Syrup completely.

Captain Syrup winced as she was pulled in by the giant hand.  
Star-Krossed turned his opponent from left and right, examining her. "You know, my human side tells me that, for a female specimen, you would happen to be quite attractive." He twisted the pirate upside down and right-side up again. "However, as a Galaxy Eater, I don't really have use for you." His grip began to constrict around Captain Syrup's middle. He chuckled. "My human side wishes to apologize for the inconvenience."

Waluigi landed on the ground nearby. "Sorry about being so late." He pointed his thumb at the sky. "That rock jumping business isn't exactly the quickest, though.  
"Who could this be that I hear?" Star-Krossed turned around. As soon as he saw Waluigi, his eyes widened, and he let go of Captain Syrup. "Oh my, I most assuredly must have run into a time thread."

Waluigi kicked forward a couple times as Syrup ran behind him. "Listen, loser, I don't take kindly to those who threaten my team." He cracked his neck. "In fact, it makes me pretty mad."

Star-Krossed tapped a shadowy finger against his chin. "Team? You worked on a team?"

Waluigi pulled out a Vampire Candy and swallowed it. As he transformed, he rushed up to Star-Krossed and gave him several choice kicks.

Star-Krossed doubled over as he backed up to the edge of the cleared off platform. "Of course, a team. That would explain a lot."

Waluig iraised an eyebrow and turned to Captain Syrup. "You have any idea what he's talking about?"

Captain Syrup shrugged. "Search me. He's been blabbering stuff like that the whole time."

"A team." Star-Krossed stood up. "Well, I suppose that I should give your 'team' my sincere apologies for causing you trouble." He bowed very low. As he rose up, a single crystal tear could be seen trailing from his left eye. "Now my human half merely wishes to give you a fond farewell." His cloak began to blow around him in a strange pattern. "Alas, parting is such sweet sorrow." He leaned backwards and let himself drift off into space.

Waluigi scratched his head as he watched Star-Krossed float away. "Okay, that guy officially made it onto my list of the top five biggest nutjobs I have ever met."

Captain Syrup nodded.

Waluigi threw his hands up in the air as he walked past the pirate. "Oh well. I guess this job is over."

Captain Syrup walked alongside Waluigi. "Yeah. I suppose."

Suddenly, a bright flash of light exploded behind them. As a sudden breeze began to blow past them, they turned around.

Waluigi pulled out his vibrating Thieftech. "Alboort, what the heck is that thing!"

Alboort swallowed. "Well, it's something that Iggy and I didn't necessarily think was significant."

Waluigi glared at the Boo. "I don't care if it's significant or not, I want to know what it is."

Alboort adjusted his glasses. "Well, given how Star-Krossed is a galactic entity, we figured there was a 2.25% chance that he could devolve into a black hole."

"A black hole!" Waluigi fumed. "I don't know about you, but black hole warnings seem pretty important to me!"

Alboort held his hands up defensively. "Now, now. Calm down. All you have to do is run towards the safety of Rosalina's forcefield."

Waluigi growled. "I'll talk to you later." He flipped his Thieftech shut and turned to Cpatian Syrup, holing his hat down. "Run like your life depends on it, because it does." He turned towards the Comet Observatory and began running.

The two purple-clad thieves ran as rocks, dust, and other space debris flew the other direction. They jumped over several particularly large rocks, running forward the whole time.

As the two approached the blue forcefield, they could see Ashley standing in front of the doors. When they were within inches of the forcefield, they found that the black hole was preventing them from going forward anymore. They strained to reach the blue energy's safety.

Ashley calmly walked down the stairs, glaring at Captain Syrup the whole time. She walked up right in front of the pirate and silently stood there a moment, arms crossed. She shrugged and, never taking her eyes off Captain Syrup, walked over and pulled Waluigi into the forcefield.

Waluigi didn't even talk. He turned, grabbed Captain Syrup by the wrist, turned and grabbed Ashley by the wrist, and ran into the Comet Observatory, pulling both girls behind him.

---

Funky Kong jumped up and down beside a massive crystal ball filled with stars. "Okay, little dudes. Shine. Shine! Ahahahahaha!"

Waluigi, Ashley, and Captain Syrup ran into the main room.

Waluigi flung his hands in the air. "A black hole! You guys couldn't take the time to tell us about a possible black hole!?"  
Alboort cowered behind Iggy. "Well, you're safe now. It's not like you actually got sucked in."

Iggy adjusted his glasses. "Well, that's not entirely true. You see, until we can get the observatory out of the black hole's gravitational pull, the whole observatory still has a possibility of getting sucked in."

Lumas began to spiral around Rosalina.

Rosalina ran towards the crystal ball. "Oh my, I hope the stars will work for us."

Polari floated around Rosalina's head. "Now just calm down, princess. The stars will do their work when they're ready."

Waluigi stepped over. "What are you guys talking about that this tub might not even mo-" The sudden burst forward sent Waluigi and miscellaneous other members flying against observatory walls.

As things inside the Comet Observatory stabilized, everyone looked out the windows.

Alboort laughed to himself. "Well, it looks like we'll be safe now."

Iggy winced. "Not exactly." He pulled out his notepad. "You see, like Waluigi and Captain Syrup almost got pulled into the black hole, other space debris will be pulled in as well. If too much of it hits our forcefield, it could go down, leaving us at the mercy of the black hole."

Alboort slammed his forehead against the window. "Great. If the black hole doesn't kill me, Waluigi will."

Geno stood next to Iggy. "Yo, don't worry about it. I can take care of anything coming at us."

Iggy turned to Geno. "Are you sure? I mean, sure, you'll be protected by the forcefield, but you're still a little out of practice. Do you think you can destroy an entire fleet of meteors."

Geno ran towards the observatory's doors. "Don't worry. I've got it." He ran out of the building.

As Geno walked outside, he jumped onto the sideways observatory's wall. He ran forward towards the end of the building and pulled out his Thieftech. "Okay, now, I can just blast these meteors out of the air in cannon mode, right?"

Iggy adjusted his glasses. "If you're feeling lucky, you can use your Geno Whirl technique to blow the meteors away."

Geno nodded. "Right. I'll think I'll stick with Geno Flash for now, though. It's easier to aim."

"Probably a good idea." Iggy looked through his notebook. "Now, there's no need to charge up the blasts for the smaller ones, but take them out as fast as you can and move up to the larger ones. But you're better at judgment, so you decide which ones to blast first."

"Yo, I got it." Geno flipped his Thieftech shut and put it away. He looked up at the flying space debris. "Okay, space rocks, prepare to get squashed." He jumped up and turned into a cannon, landing heavily on the observatory's side.

Cannon Geno aimed towards the storm of meteors being sucked towards the Comet Observatory. He blasted a multitude of the smaller rocks that were close to forcefield. He adjusted his aim and charged up a blast to take out a couple of larger rocks.

Geno kept blasting through all the debris as it came hurtling towards the blue forcefield. The cloud of rocks wasn't exceptionally thick, but Geno was still kept busy by the assortment of rocks.

After a while of shooting meteors into space dust, something even larger approached. A meteor even larger than the forcefield-enshrouded Comet Observatory came hurtling though the sky.

Geno returned to normal. "Now that's what I call a meteor." He pulled his arms back, and a glowing disk appeared in between them. After several seconds, the disk began to glow white.  
"Geno Whirl!" Geno thrust his hands forward, and the disk shot forward in a whirling pattern of destruction.

As soon as the glowing disk hit the massive meteor, the rock exploded into gold and white dust.

Geno watched the dust as it cascaded over the forcefield. He took a deep breath. "Well, that certainly is beautiful."

Suddenly, a massive flash of white exploded from behind Geno. The puppet turned around and looked to see nothing behind the observatory. He took hold of his chin. "Yo, that has got to be the weirdest thing I've ever heard of." He shook his head. "I've seen plenty of things disappear into a black hole, but I've never seen a black hole disappear before." He watched as white, gold, and green waves flew from where the black hole had been. He raised one of his eyebrows. "Strange phenomena." He ran towards the door. "I wonder if it would mean anything to the others."

---

Geno entered the main part of the observatory. "Yo, guys, seems like we're safe now. That black hole just up and disappeared." He closed his eyes and nodded. "I would assume that he returned to his own time."

Alboort adjusted his glasses. "What do you mean? You understand the origins of Star-Krossed?"

Geno crossed his arms. "It's not like the guy didn't spit it out himself." He looked at Alboort and shrugged. "But I suppose that it's a little difficult for you to understand at this time. I'll explain later."

Waluigi walked up to Rosalina. "Speaking of Star-Krossed, we did get rid of him." He crossed his arms and smiled. "So how do you plan to repay us?"

"Repay you?" Rosalina blinked a couple times and smiled. "Well, I don't think that I could ever repay you for all you've done."

Waluigi snapped his fingers. "Don't worry about it. A healthy wad of cash, and we're out of your hair."

"Cash?" Rosalina tapped her cheek in thought. "I'm afraid I don't have any money. It's not very common around here."  
"No money!?" Waluigi turned around and leaned down towards Alboort. He took hold of his chin and frowned. "You know, we seriously need to discuss payment before we take on these jobs."

Alboort shrugged. "I guess I didn't think about it."

Waluigi clenched his fists. "Yeah, you haven't been thinking about a lot lately."

Rosalina placed a hand on Waluigi's shoulder. "Please, I did not mean to offend you."

Waluigi turned back to the star matron, snickering. "No offense taken at all." He pulled a blue rose out of his hat and handed it to Rosalina. "Just a bit of economic misunderstanding."

"Oh." Rosalina took the rose and held it close to her heart. "Thank you."

Rosalina looked Waluigi square in the eye. "If it's no trouble, could you and your team stay for dinner? The Lumas and I would be honored if you'd stay."

Waluigi snapped his fingers. "Sure, we'd like to stay." He turned to the others. "What do you think, gang? Dinner on the princess?"

Roy pumped his arm in the air. "No kidding. I'm starving."

Wendy nodded. "Severe distress always makes me hungry."

Toadsworth raised his staff in the air. "Here, here. It would be a pleasure."

Rosalina clasped her hands together. "Oh, how nice. I hope you all like Star Bits."

Waluigi held his chin. "Star Bits?" He threw his hands up in the air. "Ah, what the heck, I'm willing to try anything. I've got the stomach for it."

Rosalina kept her finger on her chin in thought, staring unblinkingly at Waluigi.

Waluigi took notice of the big blue eyes trained on him. "What?"

Polari flew from beside Toadsworth and towards Rosalina. "I say, my dear. It is rude to stare at people.

Rosalina put her hand down. "Oh, I'm sorry." She continued to stare at Waluigi. "It's just that you don't seem to have a special one."

Waluigi blinked a couple times. "Right. I have no idea what that means." He held his arm out to Rosalina. "So let's see about dinner."

Off to the side, Ashley blushed furiously as she watched the interaction.

Captain Syrup patted Ashley on the head. "Calm down. You're going to get sick if you blush that inconsistently."

---

On the rocket back to Earth, Waluigi, Ashley, and Captain Syrup sat up front.

Waluigi turned to Ashley. "Say, Ash, you mind if I ask what happened back at the observatory?"

Ashley turned to Waluigi. "What do you mean?"

Waluigi held his chin. "Well, it'd have been one thing if you just grabbed me instead of Maple, but you stalled and stared at her a moment. What was up with that?"

Ashley shrugged, but a blush was evident on her face. "Speculation. Calculating who would have been more important to save." She held up a knowing finger. "Seeing how you have done a lot more critical work than Captain Syrup, I figured you would have been more important to save."

Waluigi turned to the rocket's windshield. "Well, seeing how it's you, I guess I'll believe that." He shot a sidelong glance at Ashley. "But it still seems like you've been acting strangely lately."

"Speaking of acting strangely," Captain Syrup sat herself between Ashley and Waluigi. "What was up with that Star-Krossed guy?" She turned to Waluigi. "He practically froze in his boots when he saw you. He also mentioned something about the timestream. It was like he knew you from somewhere."

Waluigi shrugged. "Don't ask me. I was home-schooled, and my mom didn't feel like it was important to teach me about the space-time continuum." He pulled the steering wheel to one side. "Besides, that Star-Krossed guy was a complete nutjob. Honestly, anyone who'd waste the time to eat stars obviously isn't in his right mind, especially if he goes around talking about being part off future or past or whatever."

Captain Syrup held her chin. "I suppose that's a good point."

Alboort watched from the back of the rocket. He looked around the rocket to see the various other members wither sleeping or watching the stars go by outside. He took in a deep breath and pulled his laptop. He opened it and clicked on his cyber-journal icon.

_Well, this is perhaps the strangest job we've had yet. Sure, we've faced some guys who could kill us, but this has to be the closest we've ever been to actually being killed._

_Oh well, that's all in the past. For now, I think we should be in for a much simpler life. Space is a nice place to visit, but I don't think we should make any more extended trip. Yes, from now on, we're going to keep it on the road and seas instead of the stars and inky blackness of space._

_However, I have been able to discover something recently with my satellite. I'll spring the good news when we're safely back on the ground. For now, I think I'm going to see about taking a nap. It's not common for us Boos, but I need to unwind a bit._

_Mission complete,_

_signed,_

_-Waluigi_

_-Alboort_

_-Ashley and Red_

_-Toadsworth_

_-The Koopalings_

_-Funky Kong_

_-Captain Syrup_

_-Geno_

---

Yeah, I know it sounds like Star-Krossed died, but you know these cartoon villains. They could die a hundred times, and they'll always be back later. You'll see a little more of him later, but don't ask how.

Anyways, let's see what the team is: A thief, a Boo, a witch, an old Toad, several dragonic Koopas, a funky monkey, a pirate, and a cosmic super doll. What am I going to do with these? You'll have to wait until the next chapter. It will be both an entirely new location and a new villain.

Speaking of new villains, let me be entirely clear about Star-Krossed's appearance. He pretty much wears a midnight blue cape/cloak that covers most of his body with a large gold star in the front. His hair is supposed to look like a large gold star, but the bottom two points are covered by his high collar. His face looks like a mix between Rosalina and Geno's. Well, it's not quite as feminine as Rosalina's, but it's not like he has an exaggerated nose like Mario and Waluigi. A red star shape is placed over his left eye, and a black on is placed on his right cheek. An eerie arm will extend from the gold star on his cloak, but his true body structure is unknown. It can be assumed that it looks like a cross between Waluigi and Geno's, but it could just as likely be that his true body is a black hole.

As for the new character? Well, you'll just have to stay tuned.

Please enjoy and review.


	55. Chapter 7 part 0

Chapter 7.0: The Master Plan

Team Waluigi were gathered in the van, seated in the back.

Waluigi groaned, crossing his arms. "Alboort, what's going on? We should be halfway to Isle Delfino."

Alboort tapped a couple keys. "Hold on a minute. Just let me get the systems set up." He looked at his miniature computer screen. "Okay. Here we go!" He pressed a large yellow button.

The whole van started to shake as the two back doors converted into a massive computer screen.

Alboort smiled as he tapped a couple more keys. "And picture should be coming up about... now."

The computer screen exploded with golden light. The entirety of the team shielded their eyes.

"Sorry about that. I'll take care of the brightness level. " Alboort moved his mouse and clicked it twice. He messed with a couple more keys.

The screen dimmed down enough for the team to put their hands down. Instead, their eyes all lit up.

Captain Syrup stood up, eyes glowing. "Is that island made of gold?"

The rest of the gang jumped up to their feet. "GOLD!?!"

Alboort floated to the front. "Yep. A couple months ago, I happened to get a picture from my satellite." He turned and pointed at the screen. "I didn't think it was real, but I checked the legendary archives. This happens to be Emperor Island from the Golden Archipelago."

Geno sat down in his seat, crossing his arms and bowing his head. "Ah. I've heard of the Golden Archipelago before." He opened his eyes. "But it's not exactly smart to go there."

Alboort nodded. "I understand." He folded his hands behind his back. "I don't have a picture, but on Emperor Island is the ruler of the Golden Archipelago, the Golden Emperor."

Toadsworth hopped back onto his chair. "Ah. I've heard the legend about that fellow." He adjusted his spectacles. "Seems he used to be a normal man until he entered some strange cave and stole an artifact known as the heart of gold." He sighed. "Seems the poor chap's right arm turned into a solid gold lump of what it used to be, and the man's heart was set solely on greed."

Alboort nodded. "He can turn any substance into solid gold. On top of that, he seems to be nigh immortal and a fifteen foot tall behemoth of a man."

Waluigi posed dramatically. "I'm not scared of any freak who's equipped with a funky hand."

Ashley stood up and nodded. "You know I'm ready to follow you guys anywhere and take on any challenge. I've followed you guys this far, and I'm not leaving just because of some ugly old man who lives on an island."

Captain Syrup laughed. "And you can bet I'm not leaving anytime soon."

Funky Kong gave the group a thumb's up to the rest of the gang. "Yo, bros. This plan sounds totally radical. Funky Kong says it's time to get the funky on."

Ludwig Von Koopa turned to the others, gesturing back at his siblings. "You can bet that if it is solid gold, ve are sold."

Wendy grinned, Iggy nodded, and Roy chuckled cruelly.

Toadsworth held his staff up. "Well, I've spent a great deal of time with the lot of you. Quite honestly, I feel I should go along with the lot of you." He chuckled. "Tally-ho! To the gold we go!"

Geno stood up. "Well, I can't say that I completely comprehend the worth of gold." He sighed and smiled boldly. "But I can't let someone as greedy as this Golden Emperor go. He might go crazy and think he can take over the universe." He smiled wider and gave the group a thumbs up. "And I like this idea of working on a team."

Alboort smiled and adjusted his glasses. "I was hoping that would be the unanimous vote." He floated over to his computer and turned off the huge screen. "I should be able to pinpoint the coordinates, and then we'll be off."

Waluigi grinned. "And we'll show the world who the number one thieves."

---

Okay, completely new area and character for Waluigi to take on. I admit, not the most original villain, but like dragons, gorillas, and crocodiles are original. The character just needs to be fun. I hope you'll enjoy this last chapter as much as you have enjoyed the rest of the story.


	56. Chapter 7 part 1

Chapter 7.1: Captured on Film

The motorboat van approached the, literally, golden shores of a beach in the middle of the ocean. From the ocean, they could see a massive palace in the shape of a bearded head.

Alboort chuckled. He elbowed Waluigi jokingly. "And I thought you had a big head sometimes."

"Yeah yeah. Keep laughing." Waluigi turned the boat so that it was parallel to the beach. "So this is Emperor Island, right?"

Alboort nodded. "This is it." He adjusted his glasses. "However, I couldn't tell much from the satellite's photos. The golden glare was just too much."

Waluigi turned to the beach. "Right, I'll drive onto the shore and find a place to hide the van."

"And then you'll do some reconnaissance tonight." Alboort stared at the island. "This place is just unbelievable. I wouldn't believe, if I hadn't seen it myself."

As the motorboat hit the golden sand, it began to morph back into a van. The transformed vehicle drove into the dense gold jungle.

---

Several hours later, Waluigi pushed his way through some of the gold foliage. When he reached a clearing, he pulled out his Thieftech. "Okay, Alboort, I'm gonna be honest with you." He looked around. "I mean, don't get me wrong. Owning a ten trillion dollar archipelago is a dream come true, but I'm not Wario. I think we could get away with retiring for the rest of our lives with only a few of these trees."

Alboort shrugged. "Yeah, I was thinking of just letting Roy harvest a few trees, but our team isn't quite that simple. Toadsworth and Geno voted for the idea of destroying the potentially megalomaniac Golden Emperor before he can take over the world with his gold touch. At the idea of owning the whole archipelago, you can bet the rest became starry-eyed at the idea."

Waluigi rubbed the back of his head and sighed. "Well, I suppose it would be nice."

Alboort adjusted his glasses. "Okay, well, I would suggest that you used the trees to move around. It doesn't look like there's much along the lines of a pathways on this forgotten island."

"Okay, hold on a minute." Waluigi looked up at the trees. Finding a choice branch, he jumped up several times and landed firmly on the thick branch. He turned back to his Thieftech. "So, what exactly do you want me to take pictures of?"

Alboort tapped several keys. "Head towards the castle. The things you're going to want to take pictures of are big. The gate, the guards, and the doors."

Waluigi cringed. "I don't know. I don't like the idea of big guards."

Alboort jumped. "Oh, sorry if I scared you. The guards aren't very big."

Waluigi wiped his brow and sighed in relief.

"There's just a whole army of them."

Waluigi frowned. "That's worse than huge guards!"

Alboort laughed nervously. "Don't worry about it. Just get the pictures and I'll give you further instruction from there."

"All right." Waluigi flipped his Thieftech shut and pocketed it. He looked around and pulled out his whip. He jumped through the trees, swinging over several at times.

Soon, Waluigi was standing on a tree near a twenty foot tall wall. He pulled out his Thieftech and placed it over his eye. When he found the giant gate, he zoomed out and snapped the picture.

Alboort appeared in the screen. "Well, that certainly is one tough-looking gate. It will take something pretty powerful to knock those in, especially seeing how the hinges are on our side."

Waluigi held his chin. "So I suppose we couldn't just have Roy headbutt it in."

Alboort shook his head. "No, but lets see how the guards measure up."

"Right." Waluigi turned Alboort off and looked around. He soon found a strange creature roaming near the base of the gate. He zoomed in on it and took the picture.

Alboort reappeared. "Well, it's strange. These gold warriors don't look very strong, but I'm sure that they have some means of communicating between each other. It'd probably be best if you didn't try attacking any of them yet."

Waluigi raised an eyebrow. "Well, I wasn't planning on it. I don't know about you, but I'm not exactly interested in being killed by a bunch of golden tinker toys."

"Not exactly the most glamorous way to go." Alboort tapped a few keys. "Now let's see about that gate." He disappeared from the screen.

Waluigi jumped through a few trees until he came close to the wall. He triple-jumped up and landed on the wall's surface. He looked around a bit before seeing a pair of intricate, gold doors. He zoomed in and out to fit the doors before snapping the photo.

Alboort reappeared in the screen. He adjusted his glasses "Interesting. It seems that the door opens towards the inside. Not only that, but the fact that it's surrounded by walls means it;s going to take quite a bit of power to blast it open."

Waluigi furrowed his brow. "Alboort, that door is bigger than the walls. And the courtyard is filled to the gills with guards."

"We'll worry about that later." Alboort tapped several keys. "For now, let's see about that Golden Emperor. I'd like to see what we're up against."

Waluigi sighed. "Well, it'll take some work, but I'll see about getting in there." He turned Alboort off and looked around. He soon found a window and dashed down the wall. When he was near the window, he swallowed a Vampire Candy and jumped inside.

Inside the castle, Waluigi ran down the hall. As he approached the corner, he pressed himself flat against the wall. He looked around to check the coast was clear and ran forward.

Waluigi ran through the halls, hiding behind corners for a little bit. He ran past doors and stairs until he came to a balcony.

Waluigi looked over the balcony. He saw a brightly shining throne room, but he couldn't see the throne from his position. What he could see was a series of chandeliers across the ceiling. He popped a Vampire Candy into his mouth and jumped up to the nearest chandelier.

As Waluigi landed on the chandelier's frame, he ran around until he could jump to another chandelier.

Soon, Waluigi was able to see a massive man with golden armor. An old-fashioned knight's helmet covered his head, but a pair a green eyes could be seen glowing from within. The man's right arm was at least three times as thick as his left arm, and just about every part of him looked to be gold.

"If that's not the Golden Emperor, then I don't know who is." Waluigi zoomed in on the golden man and took his picture.

Alboort showed up in the Thieftech's screen. "Well, intimidating certainly is a fitting word for him."

"No kidding." Waluigi scratched his head. "I thought Toadsworth said this guy was fifteen feet tall. He looks more like thirty to me."

Alboort swallowed. "Well, let's not leave you in danger longer than you need to be. Come on back to the van, and we'll see what we can come up with."

Waluigi nodded. "All right. I'll be right th-"

The chandelier's rope snapped, and it fell with Waluigi still standing on it. Both crashed on the floor.

"What the heck!" The Golden Emperor jumped up from his throne. He stomped towards the crumpled Waluigi and glared down at him. "Well, look what we have here." He picked Waluigi up with his left hand. "A thief." He laughed. "I know what to do with the likes of you." He turned and walked down the hall.

Waluigi struggled in the giant's fist. "Let me go, you big palooka!" His arms and legs were trapped, but all his struggling caused his Thieftech to fall off his face. "I mean it, loser!"

_Mission... complete?_

---

Okay, who saw that one coming? Waluigi is MIA. What is the gang going to do now? To be frank, these next few chapters are going to be fast-paced and difficult to play.

Stay tuned for drama, butt kicking, and action. Yeah, this chapter is going to get crazy, so don't miss out.

By the way, I've been thinking recently, and I've started wondering why I made Alboort. I mean, Waluigi is renowned for using bombs and is a much better fighter than any Boo. Also, with such characters as Wario and Bowser being mechanical/robotics experts, it wouldn't be too much a stretch of the imagination for Waluigi to be a computer/hacking expert. So why have Alboort?

Well, I thought long and hard about it. At first, I wanted to say a conscience. I looked back at that idea, and I don't think consciences are supposed to tell you to steal from people. I mean, sure, it's more like a vigilante service now, but that's still not the most moral concept.

So, I kept thinking, and now I believe that I think I know what inspired me to create Alboort. First off, common sense. Waluigi isn't known for it, so someone had to have it. Second, I needed to give Waluigi a pal. Well, Wario is supposedly Waluigi's pal, but Waluigi has usually been stuck in Wario's shadow. I needed a character who would be Waluigi's friend/partner/equal. Not only that, but I don't necessarily think Waluigi would think about making a gang if he started by himself, and he always seemed like the most likely to work on a team out of all the Mario characters.

What do you guys think about Alboort?

Please enjoy and review.


	57. Chapter 7 part 2

Chapter 7.2: Crashing the Gate

"Waluigi! Waluigi!" Alboort shook his computer. "Waluigi!"

Ashley ran over. "What happened?"

Captain Syrup stood over the young witch. "Is something wrong with Waluigi."

Alboort's glasses nearly fell off his face. "Waluigi has been," he swallowed heavily, "captured." He grabbed the sides of his head. "What to do? What to do?"

A vein pulsed in both of the girls' temples, and they smashed the Boo from either side of the head.

Alboort shook his head and took a couple of deep breaths. "Right. I needed that." He tapped several keys and cleared his throat. "Okay, everyone, get over here! We need a plan, and we need it now."

Toadsworth, Red, and Geno were the first ones to rush over. Ludwig, Wendy, and Iggy made up the second row, while Roy and Funky Kong followed up behind them.

Red jumped up next to the computer. "What's the matter?"

Alboort tapped several more keys and clicked the mouse a couple times, his glasses glowing brighter with each action. "Okay, Waluigi got caught, so we have no choice but to go in and beat the tar out of the Golden Emporer."

"Yes!" Roy threw his hands in the air. "Finally! A real chance to finally kick butt!"

"Hold on a minute, Roy. I'll get to you in a minute." Alboort clicked on a small icon on his screen, bringing up the picture of the gate. "Now, we need this to go down, so we can all get in."

Iggy adjusted his glasses. "Well, I could see about whipping something up real quick."

Alboort shook his head. "There's not enough time."

Captain Syrup smiled. "Well, I always have a spare gizmo for these situations."

Alboort pushed his glasses up his face. "Good, take Ashley with you."

Ashley jumped up and glared at Alboort. "Say what!"

Alboort turned to Ashley. "You'll need to watch Captain Syrup's back while she takes out the gate." He zoomed in on part of the picture. "Not only that, but you're the best qualified to destroy these hinges."

Ashley crossed her arms. "Fine." She shrugged one shoulder. "It is for Waluigi, after all."

Alboort sighed. "Okay, at least we have that settled." He closed down the current picture and pulled up the one of the Gold Soldier. "Now, Waluigi said that there were tons of these guys swarming the inside of the walls." He raised his hand up and pointed backwards. "Roy, do you think you could single-handedly take out an army of several hundred."

Roy pumped his arms. "You kidding. I've always wanted to do that." He clenched his fists and grinned cruelly. "This is going to be the greatest gig of all time!"

Alboort nodded. "Sounds like we've got a deal." He shut down the current picture and pulled up the door. "Now, I'm sure that Roy might get tired, and Captain Syrup's gadget probably doesn't have very good batteries, so we need someone to take care of the doors, especially seeing how there may be more than one."

Geno crossed his arms. "Yo, I should be able to take out those things. They don't look too strong. I should be able to blast them apart."

"Good." Alboort tapped around his computer screen for a minute, searching for the picture of the emperor. He pulled it up and moved his mouse in circles around the emperor. "Now, this guy is big, tall, and most likely powerful. I don't have a real strategy to take him out, so let's just all charge in and beat the brains out of him."

Toadsworth Adjusted his spectacles. "I say, that does sound a bit brutal."

Iggy nodded. "Not the most scientific method I've ever heard of."

Alboort swiveled around in his chair. "I never said this was scientific." He flung his arms out. "But science isn't going to tell you how to take down a thirty foot tall man that can turn things into gold with his right hand and runs solely off of the power of an ancient relic that promotes greed." He adjusted his glasses and cleared his throat. "Look, I can't guarantee that we'll all survive this. And if you need more incentive than doing something good for the world or saving Waluigi, then realize that this whole solid gold archipelago will be ours, if we kill the Golden Emperor." His glasses glinted, and he threw his fist in the air. "Now let's get this done!"

Roy threw his fist in the air. "Yeah, let's go kick some serious butt!"

The rest of the gang threw their hands in the air and cheered on their efforts.

---

Captain Syrup and Ashley jumped out of the van doors and through some golden foliage. They looked around before running down the path to the castle.

Ashley cast sidelong glances at her associate the whole way, grumbling to herself.

Just before they reached the clearing that led to the castle, Captain Syrup clenched her fist. She turned around and grabbed Ashley be the shoulders.  
Ashley tried to pull away from the pirate's grasp. "What the heck is wrong with you! We have a job!"

"Yes." Captain Syrup pointed between herself and the witch. "_We_ have a job, not you." She stared Ashley straight in the eye. "And I want to be sure that we're on the same level here, meaning that I want to know what your problem is with me."

Ashley looked away. "What are you talking about?"

"What am I talking about?" Captain Syrup waved one of her arms wildly in the air. "If looks could kill, I'd have died nearly three hundred times since I joined this gang, you as the sole murderer. So what is the problem?"

Ashley blushed and cast her eyes down. "It's nothing."

Captain Syrup rolled her eyes. "That's what you tell your parents when when you're getting failing grades in school and nobody cares." She stared at Ashley intensely. "Now what's the problem?"

Ashley's blush grew. She hesitated, her eyes revealing the argument going on in her head. She sighed. "All right." She turned to Captain Syrup. "Do you like Waluigi?"

Captain Syrup let go. After a minute, a blush slid across her face, and she giggled. "Oh, so that's what this is all about." She held her chin and stepped back a bit. "Well, he's not the easiest on the eyes, but it's not often that you come across a guy who's willing to look out for you and make such a luxurious living with his job." She laughed. "And I mean besides those annoying Goody-Two-Shoes-type of guys." She laughed again. "Actually, those guys can't keep a half decent job, either."

Ashley fiddled with her scepter, looking down at the ground. "He's the first guy I've ever met who cared about me." A single tear appeared at the rim of her eye.

Captain Syrup took notice. "Oh, don't be like that." She kneeled down and took hold of Ashley's chin, pulling her head up so they could look at each other. "I know that I may have the advantage of age, but you're a very pretty girl. How old are you? Twelve? Thirteen?"

Ashley blushed harder. "Thirteen."

"Oh." Captain Syrup blinked a couple times. "Fifteen?" She looked up at the sky for a minute before smiling. She laughed. "Well, consider yourself lucky, I actually looked like you until I was nineteen."

Ashley's eye grew wide. "What!?"

Captain Syrup threw her head back and laughed. "Well, I was a little taller, and my hair was definitely different." She stood up and traced her hands down her sides. "But I didn't have anything like this."  
Ashley's jaw dropped. "But according to most books, that should be the end of puberty."

Captain Syrup tilted her head back and forth. "Well, I have my ways." She looked down at Ashley. "And let me tell you, you aren't going to find them on the internet."

Ashley flinched.  
Captain Syrup laughed. "Ah, forget I said that." She kneeled back down and leaned towards Ashley's ear. "What I am going to tell you is that genies can do more than fly around and shoot fireballs."

Ashley's face turned red at this comment. "Well, I'm not sure if I trust that idea."

Captain Syrup stood up and raised a knowing finger. "Well, I am." She looked down and winked at the witch. "I mean, sure, we can't do everything at once. We want to make it look natural." She poked Ashley on the nose. "And please, call me Syrup. I'm old enough to be your sister, not your mother."

Ashley looked up at the red-haired pirate. "Okay."

Captain Syrup mussed Ashley's hair. "Now, cheer up. Forget about our competition, and get your head in the game. You can't blast guys properly in your current condition." She smiled. "And we can start it up again after all this. I'm not planning on getting married quite yet."

Ashley shook her head and regained her apathetic composure. "Right. Let's do this."

Captain Syrup nodded. "Now, you take care of those hinges. I'll watch your back."

Ashley nodded curtly and ran towards the gate.

Captain Syrup smiled and ran after the witch, swords ready for action.

As Captain Syrup slashed through gold soldiers, Ashley ran up to the gate. She aimed at the nearest hinge and blasted it a few times. It took a little work, but she was able to make it drop.

Captain Syrup growled. "Ashley, look out! There aren't a lot of these guys. But there's probably more than was anticipated. I can't catch all of them!"

Ashley turned around and blasted a pair of Gold Soldiers. "Don't worry, Maple. Just keep them distracted long enough, and I should be fine." She turned around and blasted another one of the hinges apart.

Ashley was able to blast a couple more hinges apart before she had to turn around to defend herself again. Neither the Gold Soldier nor the hinges proved too tough, but they still took a few blasts to destroy.

Soon, the last of the six hinges smoldered off the door and fell to the ground.

Ashley ran up next to Captain Syrup and blasted a couple of Gold Soldiers. "Okay, whatever that machine of yours is, you better pull it out now."

"Right." Captain Syrup put her hand in her pocket and fished around. She pulled out a small metal block with a button on it."

Ashley raised an eyebrow. "Um, Maple, I think we're going to need more than that."

Captain Syrup held her hand up. "Hold on a minute." She pressed the button on the block, and it quickly transformed into a bulldozer with eyes a mouth.

Captain Syrup pulled out a remote. She moved the joystick until the machine was standing in front of the gate. She cracked the fingers on her right hand. "Okay, now, we just set the thing to attack, mode, and..." She pressed several buttons, and the machine started ramming into the gate.

Captain Syrup turned to Ashley. "Okay, this guy's not particularly strong, so it may take a few minutes to destroy those doors. Also, we'll need to defend it from attacks. If too many guards get to it, it'll collapse in on itself."

Ashley crossed her arms. "Sounds kind of pathetic."

Captain Syrup shrugged. "It was a three second whip-me-up. I didn't put as much care into it as I usually do."

"Whatever." Ashley turned around, taking a firm grip on her scepter. "Let's just protect the thing for now."

"Right." Captain Syrup turned around slashed a pair of Gold Soldiers. She slashed several more times until the things fell apart. She ran over and guillotined a soldier that was trying to sneak past the defenses, and she jumped up and plunged her swords into another.

When hardly any were coming on her side, Captain Syrup ran over to help Ashley, slashing a Gold Soldier that was running around the young witch.

After several minutes of attacking soldiers, a heavy groan was heard. The witch and the pirate turned to see the bulldozer-like contraption knock the doors flat down.

Captain Syrup smiled. "Looks like we're in."

Ashley nodded. "Looks like it."

"Coming through!" Roy ran down the path. When he approached the machine that took up most of the gateway, he effortlessly knocked it to the side, letting it smash into pieces.

Captain Syrup placed a hand on her head and laughed. "Well, so much for that bucket of bolts."

Ashley folded her arms. "Roy needs to learn to watch where he's going."

Captain Syrup shrugged and sighed. "Oh well, let's go watch the show." She walked over to the open gate.

Ashley followed close behind. She looked up at Captain Syrup. "Say, Maple."

Captain Syrup looked down at the witch. "What is it?"

"Well," Ashley spun her scepter in her hand nervously, "even if we do act like sisters, we both still like Waluigi."

Captain Syrup placed a finger on her chin in thought. "I suppose that's true." She soon smiled down at the witch and laughed. "But if the whole thing just doesn't work out, we could always see about retiring to one of those countries that support harems or something."

Ashley looked up at the sky in thought. "Sounds a little unconventional." She pulled out a small grim-looking encyclopedia. "Of course, the idea also sounds curious. Maybe worth a try."

_Mission complete,_

_signed,_

_-Ashley and Red_

_-Captain Syrup_

---

Well, there you go. A tender little moment between the girls, along with a tense situation. I'm sure people will probably think that Captain Syrup's last comment is inappropriate for a children's game, but polygamy is only illegal, not immoral.

Anyways, let me explain something here. Someone commented that I should have Waluigi and Ashley get married. Let's be frank, Ashley is only fifteen years old (eight in Japan, but this is America, so I'm going with American standards). Also, I am not Nintendo and I like Waluigi as a womanizing figure for the Mario world, so I'm not going to state a canon pairing for the thin thief. What do you think?

By the way, the character attacking the gate is the one you play as in this level.

Please enjoy and review.


	58. Chapter 7 part 3

Chapter 4.3: Koopa Karnage

Roy looked around as he ran in through the walls. All the Gold Soldiers seemed frozen by the sudden attack..

Roy chuckled as he pulled out a hot pink Thieftech with a spike on it. In one motion, he snapped the device open and placed it over his sunglassed eye. "Okay, Geek, what's going on here?"

Iggy frowned. "Roy, this isn't exactly rocket science. You just need to beat the tar out of your opponents."

"I know." Roy stretched his arms up. "But I'm feeling a little rusty."

Iggy sighed and palmed his face. He pulled up his notebook and flipped through a few pages. "Okay, if you're feeling all that rusty, then let's start with the basics. If you press the B button, you can use your Koopa Klaw attack to deal serious damage to one or a few enemies. Let's see you try a couple of those."

Roy cracked his knuckles and ran forward. Some of the Gold Soldiers seemed to notice the oncoming threat and ran forward, only to be swatted back and forth by a pair of powerful, scaled arms. The Koopa diced the mechanical mercenaries apart.

Roy thrust his head back and laughed. "This is too easy!"

Iggy adjusted his glasses. "Don't get too full of yourself yet." He licked his fingers and flipped a page. "Now, I happen to know this move by heart," he placed a hand on his temple and groaned, "seeing how I was caught in it numberless times." He shook his head and cleared his throat. "Anyways, by pressing the Z button, you can deliver a serious uppercut. Now, it may knock a couple enemies back, but only one will go rocketing sky high."

Roy jumped over and shot his arm straight up, sending a couple Gold Soldiers reeling back and one flying."

Iggy jumped. "I wasn't expecting you to do it yet." He quickly flipped back and forth through a couple of pages. "Now, if you'll be patient for minute, by pressing the B button after shooting an enemy up, you can catch them with your elbow and slam them into the ground with your Koopa Krush move. Not only will it destroy the caught enemy, it will harm any enemies nearby, making it effective in crowded areas. Now, seeing how you're rearing to go, let's see you try this attack a few times."

"Right." Roy turned and uppercut a Gold Soldier beneath the chin. After it was sent airborne, he jumped up, caught it on the point of his sharp elbow, and smashed it into the ground, flinging his victim's nearby allies flying backwards.

Iggy nodded. "Very good, Meathead. Now, let's try some more attacks that can destroy multiple enemies at a time." He turned the page and stabbed his finger into the page. "Ah, here we are. The Shell Shock attack." He smiled. "True, you can only jump once, but by pressing the B button afterwards, you can crush all the enemies beneath you with the spikes on the back of your shell." He snickered. "I'd be surprised if anyone could survive being under your weight."

Roy frowned. "Are you calling me fat!"

Iggy held his hands up defensively. "Oh, no no no no no. You see, muscle weighs more than fat, and seeing how we are reptilian in nature, our muscle density is far greater than most species."

"Ah." Roy flexed his arms. "Then let's get down to business!" He ran forward and jumped in the air. As he reached his aerial apex, he turned around and landed on his back, smashing about five Gold Soldiers.

Iggy adjusted his glasses. "Well, it looks like things are going well." He flipped through several pages. "Of course, things are going to get hectic, so you'll need to make a little space for yourself. You can do that with the Whirling Fortress technique. Just press the Z button while you're in the air, and you'll make yourself a razor-sharp vortex to show you opponents that you need a little space."

"Got it." Roy twisted his body sharply and jumped up. As he was in the air, he withdrew into his shell and whirled around, slicing through the Gold Soldiers that got anywhere near his shell. When he hit the ground, he popped out and stood up. He looked around and chuckled. "Well, that is one effective attack."

Iggy nodded. "You only have one more attack that is even more than the Whirling Fortress."

Roy raised an eyebrow. "Really? What part of my body could be stronger than my steel-hard shell."

Iggy snickered. "You have a thick skull."

Roy threw a clenched fist in the air. "Say what! Do you want me to come back to the van and beat the snot out of you, instead!"

Iggy jumped. "No, that's not what I meant at all." He pulled up an x-ray and pointed at it. "See, you somehow developed a skull that is physically twice as thick as even King Dad's. That's how you can drop from a ceiling on a stone floor without suffering so much as a concussion."

Roy crossed his arms and raised his eyebrow. "Okay. I'll but that."

Iggy sighed in relief and put the x-ray down. He looked back at his notebook and traced the lines of words. "Okay. Here we are. The Skull Smash attack. Just press the 2 button, and you'll charge through enemies, sending them flying all over the place."

Roy furrowed his brow. "I don't get it. That doesn't sound any more powerful than the Shell Shock, let alone the Whirling Fortress."

Iggy's glasses glinted. "Not yet, anyways, but that is easily amended." He turned a couple pages back. "You see, your arms are strong enough to do more than tear enemies apart. You can climb up walls. You can jump off of a wall at any point, and then you can press the 2 button to perform Skull Meteor. This attack deals more damage to a wider range the farther up you are."

Roy looked up. "Well, that castle does look pretty high. But how am I supposed to climb it?"

Iggy sighed in exasperation. "Come on, Roy. This isn't that hard. All you have to do is walk up to the wall and keep walking. You'll automatically sink your claws in and drag yourself up."

Roy smiled. "Sometimes I don't know my own strength."

Iggy shook his head. "Sometimes I wonder if you would know anything if people didn't take the time to explain it to you." He jumped up before Roy could say anything. "Okay, tutorial time is over. You need to kill one hundred and fifty enemies. Can you do it!?"

Roy chuckled cruelly. "Of course I can!"

"Then let's see it!" Iggy disappeared from the screen.

Roy pulled off his Thieftech and snapped it shut. After putting his Thieftech away, he looked up at the castle again. He ran forward, slashing his claws back and forth, mowing his way through the crowds of soldiers.

As Roy approached the golden wall, he stabbed his claws into the wall. He stabbed both his hands into the wall and began climbing up. He climbed up without any trouble, as all the Gold Soldiers were stuck on the ground.

As Roy reached the top of the castle, he looked down and laughed. "Here I come!" He jumped off the wall and pointed his head straight at the ground. He fell with the force of an atomic bomb, shattering the enemies beneath him and sending out shockwaves to knock back several rows of enemies.

Roy stood up, holding his head. "Okay, maybe dropping headfirst from a hundred feet in the air wasn't my best idea." He turned to see more Gold Soldiers coming at him. He jumped up in the air and crushed them under his shell. He turned and slashed some more enemies to pieces.

Roy slashed and Koopa Krushed and Shell Shocked his way through the crowds, but his favorite attack was obviously the Whirling Fortress. He tore through the crowds like a mower in a weedy lawn.

Soon, Roy was left with only three enemies left. He jumped froward and shot an uppercut into the group, launching the middle one up in the air. As the other two ran towards him, he caught his flung target and crushed it beneath his elbow, severely damaging the other two as well. He jumped up and used a Whirling Fortress to destroy the last ones.

Roy stood up, chuckling. "Yeah! That's what I'm talking about! That's Roy Koopa power!" He staggered a little bit and held his head. "Oh. I need to lie down for a little bit."

The rest of the gang ran through the open gates. Iggy diverted from the rest of the pack. He walked up and patted Roy and the shoulder. "That'll do, Meathead. That'll do."

"Yeah. Whatever, Nerd." Roy stumbled forward. "Just shut up already, I have a splitting headache."

_Mission complete,_

_signed,_

_-The Koopalings_

_-Roy Koopa_

---

Look, Roy is a tank. Aside from maybe Vampire Waluigi, he is the physically strongest out of all the playable characters, and he also has the highest amount of stamina and defensive stats. I may have had beat 'em up levels before, but nothing really complimented him before this. I really just like the idea of seeing him in an all out brawl.

I don't really have much to say. This was a straightforward level. Kill your opponents and kill them fast. Anybody who loves a good fight would love this level.

Please enjoy and review.


	59. Chapter 7 part 4

Chapter 4.4: Knock and Go Boom

The gang approached the massive pair of doors at the front of the castle.

Alboort adjusted his glasses. "Well, this certainly is an architectural masterpiece."

Iggy walked up next to the Boo and nodded. "The problem is that most of our options have been clocked out. Roy is probably taking a nap somewhere, and he destroyed Captain Syrup's machine." He turned and patted Geno on the head. "It's a good thing we have our secret weapon."

Geno nodded briefly. "It shouldn't be too hard."

Iggy looked up at the door and pushed his glasses up. "The problem is that we can't stand next to the doors while they're being destroyed." He sighed. "It'd be a lot easier with the close range." He turned. "But I haven't had the time to calculate the structural integrity of the castle. Gold isn't the most powerful element, making it both easier and more dangerous to destroy."

Geno nodded. "All of you retreat to the jungle. You need to preserve your strength for the future battle."

Alboort nodded. "Okay, you heard him. Let's get back to the forest." He floated towards the open gate, most of the gang following him.

Iggy and Geno walked towards the gate. The Koopa turned to the mechanical puppet. He pulled out a pad of paper and a pencil. He started scribbling. "All right. The doors are your main target, but I can't guarantee that there won't be any Gold Soldiers."

Geno crossed his arms. "Yo, don't worry about it. I can blast those guys into powder."

Iggy took in a deep breath. "I'm just telling you to be careful." He placed a clawed hand on the puppet's shoulder. "Just about everything I've built has ended up broken."

"Yo, just forget about it." Geno shrugged off the hand and backflipped away, taking an action pose. "I'm not just an ordinary tinkertoy. I can fight for myself."

Iggy nodded. "All right. I get it." He walked out of the gate and paused. "Oh, one more thing. There might be more than one door, so call us when you've made it clear."

"Got it." Geno turned to the castle. "You should probably join the others."

Iggy turned and ran into the jungle.

Geno took a deep breath and looked around. He jumped up and turned into a cannon. He aimed at the door and blasted at the doors. He charged up a couple shots and blasted the doors even harder.

It didn't take long for the doors to crack. However, Gold Soldiers began to run out of the openings.

Cannon Geno turned and blasted several of the artificial lifeforms. He swept through the courtyard, taking out the few renegade soldiers. However, he did turn back to the doors every once in a while to blast it again.

After a short while, the doors began to break some more, but the Gold Soldier count wasn't any worse than before.

Cannon Geno kept shooting back and forth between enemies and doors.

Soon, the doors broke completely.

Geno reverted back to normal and ran towards the broken doors. He used Geno Whirl on the soldiers that were just hanging on from the damage they had sustained from the Geno Flash attacks.

When Geno approached the emptied doorway, he looked around. There were about ten Gold Soldiers left, and they had all turned to see why the doors had fallen.

Geno jumped in the air and shot his fists down at a pair of the soldiers. He ran over, grabbed his arm, and Whirled one right in the face. As some more ran up to him, he shot his arms at them again.

The battle was short as Geno finished off the last few of his foes with a heavy Geno Whirl. He looked around and nodded. "That's what you get when you mess with me." He pulled out his Thieftech and flipped it open. "Okay, operations are go. There is one more door left, but I think it leads into the main throne room."

Iggy nodded. "Then it was a good idea on your part to call us first. We'll be there in a minute."

Geno walked towards the busted down doors and stood there, his arms crossed. He watched as the rest of the gang ran through the gate and up to him.

Alboort floated to the front, pushing his glasses up. He turned to the ragtag team. "Okay, this is it. We're going in to save Waluigi and take down the bad guy. Are there any objections."

Wendy held up her hand. "Yeah, I don't think I'm cut out for this."

Ludwig nodded alongside Iggy. "I am a professional musician, not really vun for battle."

Iggy shrugged. "I just don't have anything on hand."

Alboort pushed his glasses up. "Very well. You guys should probably see to Roy, anyways. I think he took you a little too literally when you told him he could drop himself on his head."

"All right." Iggy turned to the other two Koopalings. "Come on, let's go." He and his siblings ran back to the jungle.

Alboort turned to the rest of the gang. "Anyone else?"

Funky pointed his hand at the next set of doors. "Let's get this ride started, dudes!"

Alboort smiled. "Good answer." He turned to Geno. "If you would do the honors."

Geno nodded and turned to the next doors. He raised his hands above his head. "Geno-"

_Mission complete,_

_signed,_

_-Geno_

---

I felt mildly uneasy about this level. I know it's not particularly long or fab, but Geno needed to do something. I would have liked giving Geno more love, I just haven't had a lot of time. Sorry.

Please enjoy and review.


	60. Chapter 7 part 5

Chapter 7.5: Dethroning the Emperor

Waluigi sat in a golden cage that hung from the ceiling. He swung his legs back and forth and frowned. "Okay, seriously, all the villains in the world, and I had to get captured by the guy with the least amount of imagination."

The Golden Emperor turned his head to look at his captive, his glowing green eyes narrowing. "What do you mean by that?"

Waluigi shook the bars he was holding. "A bird cage next to the throne? At least Bowser would have stuck me in a dungeon surrounded by lava or stuffed me into a cannon and shot me into the next country. King K. Rool probably would have shoved me into a barrel and thrown me into a whole storeroom full of the things, making it next to impossible to find me." He threw his hands up in the air. "For all I know, Star-Krossed might have kept me in a fishing net hanging in front of a black hole," he looked over to the side and lowered his voice, "or eaten me."

The Golden Emperor pointed at Waluigi with his thick right hand. "You better shut your trap before I turn you into gold."

Waluigi shrugged. "Why don't you just leave the room, then? I could just kick the bars out, and you'd never see me again."

The Golden Emperor sat back in his throne, glaring at Waluigi. "I am trying to think about what to do with you."

Waluigi stood up and shrugged. "Well, if I were Ashley or Captain Syrup, I might understand you keeping me in this cage." He laid down and hung his head off the edge, spinning the cage so that he was looking at the gold behemoth. "With your lack of creativity, you'd probably try turning me into a chandelier to replace the one I dropped."

The Golden Emperor shook his helmeted head. "You're far too thin. It'd never work."

Waluigi rolled his eyes. "What are you going to do, turn me into a golden garden gnome. I haven't seen any of those around the island." He grinned. "Heck, I bet that in a fair fight, you couldn't catch a guy if he was standing still."

The Golden Emperor jumped up. "Why you insufferable little gnat! How dare you insult me!"

Waluigi swiveled around and sat up. "Well, it's not that hard." He smirked and held his chin. "I mean, you must be one ugly guy if you have to hide your face like that."

The Golden Emperor stomped over to the cage, glaring angrily at the thief. "I'd quit shooitng off my mouth if I were in your position."

Waluigi laughed. "If you were in my position, I wouldn't be cramped in here, and you would be pretty cramped."

Steam blasted out of the slots of the Golden Emperor's helmet. "You think you can avoid your fate by heckling me!"  
Waluigi leaned towards the Golden Emperor's face. "No, I'm just heckling you because you're an idiot and deserve it."

The Golden emperor threw his arms up at the cage. "Why I ought to-"  
Suddenly, the throne room doors exploded, and the members of Team Waluigi ran in.

"What the heck!" The Golden Emperor turned. "More thieves!" He made a stomping run towards the myriad of warriors.

Alboort pushed his glasses up. "Judging from his size, I doubt he could attack more than one of us at a time, so split up."

The rest of the gang nodded and ran to separate parts of the room. Captain Syrup and Ashley ran towards Waluigi's cage while the others stood around the room, out of reach of the Golden Emperor.

Alboort solemnly shook his head. "Well, I guess this is it." He floated forward and lashed at the Golden Emperor's left ankle with his tongue.  
The Golden Emperor screamed and kicked his foot forward.

Alboort floated to the side, barely missing the foot. He placed a bomb where it had been standing and floated back a bit.

The bomb detonated as soon as the Golden Emperor stepped down. He growled and tried stomping down on the Boo.

Alboort placed a bomb on the ground and floated out of the way. This bomb also exploded beneath his opponent's foot, and he licked at it several more times.

The Golden Emperor roared in rage and kicked at the Boo several times furiously.

Alboort got hit by one of the kicks. Fortunately, it knocked him away from the rest of the barrage, keeping him safe. He adjusted his glasses and floated forward, tongue lashing and bomb in hand.

Alboort had to dance around a few more kicks, but he stayed strong with his bombs and tongue-work.

The Golden Emperor ended up stomping down on another bomb. This time, the leg crumbled beneath him, leaving him to stumble back a bit.

Toadsworth ran forward and smack the right ankle with a few good, solid strikes from his staff. "Take that, you ungracious hooligan!"

The Golden Emperor glared down at the old Toad. In a pogo stick-like fashion, he jumped up and landed heavily on the ground.

Toadsworth jumped out of the way of the foot and jumped again to avoid the shockwaves created by the impact. He smacked the leg a few more times before the gold-plated king could jump up again.

As the foot came down, the Toad went up. In the air, he smacked the leg several times before landing again.

The Golden Emperor spat steam out of his helmet again, and his eyes glowed brighter. He tensed up his remaining leg and jumped high into the air.

Toadsworth ran out of the way as the gold behemoth came down, but the vibrating ground threw him off balance. He was just able to jump up and run out of the way of the next hopping stomp. He turned and adjusted his spectacles. "I say, dear boy, that is being rather rough on an old man."

The Golden Emperor only replied by jumping into the air.

Toadsworth ran out of the descending shadow. Before the giant's impact, he jumped into the air. As he landed, he ran towards the foot and smashed it a few more times with his staff.

The demented game of hopscotch continued for quite some time. Toadsworth got roughed up quite a bit, but he was able to smack the leg with a few choice strikes of his staff.

Toadsworth delivered a heavy smash to the Golden Emperor's right ankle.

The leg cracked into pieces. The Golden Emperor fell to the ground. He pushed himself onto the stump that was his lower torso and glared at the Old Toad.

"Woah. Hang ten, Silver Surfer!" Funky Kong rolled in on his surfboard and scooped Toadsworth up. He threw the old Toad towards Alboort.

The Golden Emperor raised his long left arm. He let it fall down to the ground, the force magnifying to meteoric proportions.

Funky Kong paddled his way out of the hand's way. He made a wide turn and pulled out his Funky Bazooka. Mangoes started flying like crazy at the long arm. When he was close enough, he struck the arm with his fist.

The Golden Emperor raised his arm again and slammed at the surfing Kong several times before he got blasted by several more mangoes and the Kong's fist.

Funky paddled his way through the giant's swings, jumping when the arm swept across the floor. He tried to keep as steady an aim on the arm as he passed as possible.

Hands slapped down and mangoes flew as the battle continued. Soon, it was all over as Funky Kong blasted the arm with his fist, shattering it from the Golden Emperor's shoulder.

The Golden Emperor growled. "All right. Now the lot of you have asked for it." He raised his thick right arm in the air and held one finger into the air.

Alboort jumped. "Funky Kong! Get out of there!"

Funky Kong paddled as quickly as possible and steered his way out of the gold behemoth's range, letting the massive golden finger stab the floor.

The Golden Emperor's eyes flashed from green to gold. "There's no escape for you now!"

"Yo, Goldy!"

The Golden Emperor turned to see Geno standing in the middle of the room. He turned his whole body around with a heavy hop and hopped his way towards the puppet. "Well, it looks like someone just volunteered to be the first to die."

Geno held his arms up, glaring at the gold behemoth. After a moment, he smiled. "Yep. They sure have, but it ain't me."

The Golden Emperor shouted as he lifted his golden fist into the air.

Geno jumped nimbly out of the way as the arm came crashing down. He charged a Geno Whirl and shot it at the arm.

The Golden Emperor didn't even flinch at impact. Instead, he turned and thrust his arm down, quick as lightning.

Geno jumped up and shot a few quick Geno Whirls at the arm. He landed and shot his fists at the arm.

As soon as Geno's hands made impact with the golden arm, they bounced off and landed on the ground, now solid gold.

Geno ran over and reattached his arm. After a few seconds of flexing, he found them fully functional. "Well, what do you know?"

"I know that you're going to die!" The Golden Emperor thrust his arm down again.

Geno turned and jumped out of the way, shooting a few smaller Geno Whirls. When he landed, he jumped backwards several times, so that he was completely out of range of the Golden Emperor.

The Golden Emperor roared mightily as he hopped forward furiously.

Geno held his hands up high in the air, beginning to charge his Geno Whirl. Just when he was going to be struck by the Golden Fist, he released the pent up energy at a stable frequency.

The Geno Whirl shot clean through the Golden Emperor's arm, causing it to explode into dust..

Geno looked up at the golden rain as it fell. "Yo! It looks like this battle is over, Goldy."

The Golden Emperor looked down at his bare right shoulder, the arm having been decimated to a clean cut. He turned to Geno. "You think this is over?" He laughed. "This is far from over!" He took in a deep breath, and the middle of his chest began to glow. Soon, a heart-shaped medallion pulled itself out his chest. It shone brilliantly as a pair of chains wrapped around his torso. "Let me show you my true power."

The golden heart shone magnificently on the giant man's chest, and the whole room began to shake. The pieces of gold that were thrown around the room in all shapes and sizes flew towards the Golden Emperor, twining around and molding themselves together.

Soon, the Golden Emperor stood up in full glory, minus his right arm. He looked down at his opponents and chuckled. "See, I am immortal. There is no way to destroy me."

Meanwhile, Ashley and Captain Syrup had climbed their way up to Waluigi's cage and were trying to pick the lock.

Waluigi watched the Golden Emperor remake himself and growled. He turned to the door on his cage. "Look, girls, I thank you for the effort, but I have to get down there." He pulled a Vampire Candy out of his pack and threw it into his mouth. He rushed over, kicked the door open, grabbed the two young women, and jumped down to the ground.

Waluigi let the two women go and ran forwards, the Vampire Candy wore off. He pointed up at the Golden Emperor. "Hey, Loser, come back here! I think we were arguing first."

The Golden Emperor turned around, his eyes having taken a red color. "Yes, you are right. It is finally time I took care of you, cockroach." He ran forward, his feet striking the gold floor heavily.

Waluigi took out a Vampire Candy and swallowed it. He smashed the two legs into pieces with a few kicks and stomped the left arm clean off of the emperor.

The Golden Emperor laughed. "Did you learn nothing?" His chest began to glow.

"I learned plenty." Waluigi popped another Vampire Candy down his throat and jumped up. When he was at the same level as the Golden Emperor's chest, he twisted his body and delivered a Whirl-Luigi into the Heart of Gold.

The Golden Emperor staggered back, but his limbs regenerated all the more quickly. He growled and charged at Waluigi again.

This time, Waluigi ran around the legs, whipping them savagely with his Thorn Whip until the fell apart. He swallowed a Vampire Candy and took care of the left arm by stomping on it again. He Whirl-Luigied into the Heart of Gold as soon as it had appeared.

The Golden Emperor's scream became absolutely horrendous as he glared daggers down at Waluigi. He pulled his limbs together and raised his leg to stomp down on the purple-clad thief.

Waluigi jumped out of the way of the stomps and pulled out his baseball bat. Whenever he could, he ran forward and smashed the giant feet several times with his bat. It took some doing, but he was able to take the legs out and was working on the arm as the torso fell. He pounded on the hand and arm with his baseball bat after each of its failed attempt to smash him. It, too, also collapsed quickly beneath the bat.

The Golden Emperor growled fiercely as he summoned the power of the Heart of Gold.

Waluigi threw his bat into his pack and pulled out his tennis racket. He ran forward and delivered a few fell swoops against the Heart of Gold.

The Golden Emperor froze as the Hear of Gold split neatly into two. Pieces of his body fell off and plummeted to the ground. On top of the pile fell the broken heart, and the helmet fell over it. The helmet's visor lifted with a belch, and a large plume of gold smoke erupted out of the opening.

Waluigi blinked blankly at the pile as the rest of the gang crowded around him.

Alboort looked up at Waluigi. "Is something wrong?"

Waluigi held his chin. "Well, usually, when a bad guy like this dies or whatever, there's some sort of screaming ghost, or all the things that were turned to gold revert to normal."

Alboort raised an eyebrow. "And you would want that to happen?"

Waluigi shook his head. "Nah! Forget curses and all that. I say we throw that Heart of Gold thing into the ocean. And then," He turned around and raised his hands in the air, "who want to be a billionaire!"

The rest of the group leapt and cheered and the very idea.

Waluigi leaned over. "Seriously, I need a long vacation from this nonsense. I say we go a year or so."

Alboort nodded.

"Besides," Waluigi cast a sidelong glance at Ashley and Captain Syrup. "I think that'll give me plenty of time to work on Waluigi Beach Volleyball."

_Mission complete,_

_signed,_

_-Waluigi_

_-Alboort_

_-Ashley and Red_

_-Toadsworth_

_-The Koopalings_

_-Funky Kong_

_-Captain Syrup_

_-Geno_

---

Well, I guess this is the end of the big adventure. Sure, there's still an epilogue and a few chapters of afterthoughts, but this is the end of the action. I hope you enjoyed it.

By the way, if anyone's curious, like the Shake King looks a lot like Wario, the Golden Emperor has a similar body structure to Waluigi, tall and thin, except for his thick magic arm. However, his body is covered by a lot of gold armor, including an old-fashioned knight's helmet that covers all of his head, revealing his eyes only through several vertical slots. He also wears the Heart of Gold like a medallion around his neck.

Later,

MasterofHearts1313


	61. Epilogue

Epilogue: A New Sensation

Alboort sighed warmly as he looked around his new apartment. He picked his laptop up off the table and flipped it open. Smiling, he pulled his cyber-journal open and started typing.

_Well, I guess this is it. We've had our adventure, and things just couldn't be better._

_I'm sad to say that, after we had split up the fortune we obtained selling off everything from the Golden Archipelago, our little gang split up quite a bit._

_Geno was one of the first to leave. He said he needed to return to guarding the stars. He did thank us for his new body, though. The last I've heard from him was a star-mail that said he was currently traveling through the northern constellations._

_Toadsworth also had to go. He said that he's been away from Princess Peach for too long and needed to return to his stewardship. He was a real nice guy. I wouldn't mind working with him again, but I hope he spends some of his new fortune to take care of his health. He certainly was nice to spend a quiet afternoon with._

_The Koopalings also left not too long ago. Wendy sent a postcard from her new beach resort. Seems she's opened up shop on one of the islands in Kong Country. It seems she was able to get quite a few of the Kritters to help staff her new resort. She certainly seems to be doing well for herself._

_Ludwig, Roy, and Iggy went back to their family. They picked up their brothers and went off to live adult lives of their own. Roy went off with Morton Jr. to enter the wrestling leagues. Ludwig is on tour for his classical music on the Western coast. Iggy is one of the leading scientists in electrical science. As far as I've heard, Lemmy and Larry are just kicking back, living the bachelor's life. I have heard rumors that the entire King Koopa family is planning on coming together to dominate the Mario sports world._

_~sigh~ I'm going to miss Iggy. At least I could have a halfway scholarly conversation with him._

_I'll also miss Funky Kong. He's a real chummy guy, when you can understand what he's saying. He returned to Kong Country, but he still pops in every once in a while._

_As for the rest of us..._

Alboort looked up at the window and smiled.

Well, we're just going to hang out and see what jobs come up next. There's a whole slew of places to still steal from out there. Until we plan our next move, though, Waluigi has us pretty excited with an alternate venture.

Well, the time has come to hang up the thieving cloak for now, so I should probably close this journal before I get emotional.

Until next time,

Aboort

The Boo shut down his computer with a smile. Carefully, he placed it on his side table. He bounced his way out of his chair and floated to his front door.

Alboort opened to door onto a sunny beach. He strolled merrily down a path, past the houses that bordered the beach, and onto the main part of the beach.

Alboort floated up to a lifeguard's seat and looked up. "How is everything, Waluigi?"

Waluigi idly leaned over his seat. He was in a purple swimsuit and sandals, a glob of suntan lotion standing out on his nose. He smiled. "Everything's going fine." He sat back up and smiled wider. "Just fine."

After a moment of staring off into the distance, Waluigi stood up in his chair. "Hey, Vanessa, no cheating! You serve that ball right!" He sat down and grinned. "You can cheat anywhere else, but not on Waluigi Island."

The green-haired diva huffed. She followed with a smile. "All right, Love." She raised the volleyball high in her hand. "Okay, Mona, Darling, this is coming straight at you." She served the white and purple ball.

Mona bumped the ball up. "What's the matter, Vanessa? I thought you hated being second best."

Vanessa growled as she ran up to the ball, but she tripped. Instead, Queen Merelda jumped in her place, setting the ball straight up.

Kalypso grinned as she looked up at the ball. "Good job, Merry." She jumped up and flipped, spiking the ball with her reptilian tail.

Tiny Kong dove and bumped the ball back up into the air at an awkward angle. "Nice try, but no banana for you, Kalypso."

Princess Rosalina followed the ball the line. She set it back into the playing area.

Ashley nodded curtly. "Strong work, Rose." She jumped up. "But mine is stronger!"

Captain Syrup smirked as she jumped up. "I don't think so, kid."

Both girls slammed the ball at the same time, holding it in place. Energy exploded around the two.

Ashley grinned. "Give up, Syrup. You know I'm stronger."

Captain Syrup smiled wider. "Now, Ashley, I might have helped you get a few inches taller and a couple of curves, but don't think I'm going to help you now."

Waluigi and Alboort watched the aerial rivalry for a couple minutes.

Waluigi leaned over to look at Alboort. "I don't really know how to rule this."

Alboort shrugged back up at his partner in crime. "I don't even know the rules of volleyball."

Suddenly, a buzzing echoed across the beach.

Ashley and Captain Syrup turned to looked at Waluigi and Alboort. The shift of concentration threw them off balance, and the volleyball went shooting straight up in the air.

Alboort reached into his pocket and pulled out his Thieftech. "Oh, looks like an e-mail." He flipped his Thieftech open and scanned the screen. He looked up and smiled. "Waluigi! Ashley! Red! Syrup! We gotta get going!"

Waluigi jumped up. "Hey, Funky! You think you can watch the game for a while!"

Funky Kong slid his surfboard from the sea to the lifeguard's chair. He jumped up and grabbed onto the railing. "Totally, bro!"

Waluigi jumped off the chair, and Red jumped off the arm. They followed Alboort as he ran down the beach.

Ashley and Captain Syrup jumped up and ran as well.

Captain Syrup waved back at the other players. "See you 'round, girls."

Ashley smiled. "It's been... I believe the word is fun."

Captain Syrup rubbed the top of Ashley's head. "See? You're getting the hang of the idea of being popular already."

Up with the three guys, Red had lagged behind a bit to be with Ashley, but Waluigi ran up alongside Alboort. "So, where are we going?"

Alboort smiled, and his glasses glinted in the sun. "You'll see."

Team Waluigi just ran across the beach, all smiles and laughs.

_Adventure complete..._

_Until next time..._

_Now, come on, you beat the game. Be like Waluigi and go play outside!_

_{Roll Credits}_

---

Well, I guess that's it. The end of Waluigi the Master Thief. I know, it's sad, but that doesn't mean it has to be the end of Waluigi. Perhaps there could be a sequel.

In the sequel, who knows what could happen. New allies like Daisy, Luigi, or maybe the new allies could be prior villains like Count Cannoli or other members of the Black Sugar Pirates. Maybe it'll be like Paper Mario, where it'll be Waluigi, Alboort, and the rest of the cast is female characters, including Ashley and Captain Syrup, of course, along with characters like Kalypso and Vivian (from Paper Mario).

Who knows what the new villains could be. Retro villains like Wart and Tatanga, or newer villains like Petey Piranha or Wario villains like Rudy the Clown and Terrormisu.

Maybe there will be completely new characters. It may wake a while for me to plan it out. Like real games, it may take a couple years for the sequel to come out.

I don't know, but I support Waluigi Beach Volleyball all the way. I can totally see it happening, if the idea ever crosses the minds of Nintendo.

Speaking of Nintendo, I would send this idea into Nintendo to see what they think, but I have no idea how to contact them. If anybody is really impressed with this story, and has a means of contacting Nintendo, could they maybe send it in? Waluigi needs the love.

Anyways, I hope everyone enjoyed this story. And I ask of anybody who took the time to read all the way until now, please, leave any parting reviews/comments/praise/flames/whatever. I would like to hear what the people think.

_Mission complete,_

_signed,_

_-MasterofHearts1313_


	62. Further Gameplay

After the Game

There are more activities than just the main game of Waluigi the Master Thief. For instance, after you finish each chapter/level, you may choose to go back and play the missions again. And after you defeat the whole game, you can go back in freeplay, wander around as any character in any field, and look for treasures that only appear after the game has been beat. They don't do anything for you, but they're fun to collect.

Aside from the thieving, there are also minigames. You can earn coins by squashing enemies and pickpocketing in freeplay mode and the pickpocketing missions. There are five minigames.

Dance-off

Cost: 3000 coins

Summary: Choose a male (Waluigi, Alboort, Toadsworth, Iggy, Ludwig, Roy, Funky, Geno, or Star-Krossed) and a female (Ashley, Wendy, Captain Syrup, Vanessa, Peach, Daisy, Kalypso, Merelda, or Rosalina) and face off against a friend to show off your dancing skill. The game will keep going through songs as you copy the steps. The first team to make three mistakes loses.

Barrel Blasting

Cost: 3000 coins

Summary: Find a friend, choose your characters, and fly around in Iggy's Barrelplanes. Shoot, spin, and loop the loop your way to victory. First to shoot down their opponent ten times wins.

Prize-winning Piano Playing

Cost: 3000 coins

Summary: Ludwig isn't the only one who can play an instrument. Choose your character, choose your music, and face off against a friend in this musical battle royale. It's similar to Donkey Konga, so whoever scores the best wins the game.

Team Training

Cost: 5000 coins

Summary: Find a friend and choose your characters. You're trapped in an arena and have to improve your skills by fighting each other. Iggy, Ludwig, Star-Krossed, Vanessa, Peach, Daisy, Kalypso, Merelda, and Rosalina may not be playable in this mode, but their tokens may sometimes appear on the field, and they'll be willing to help in a snap.

Fighting Fury

Cost: 5000 coins

Summary: Choose your fighting character (Team Waluigi member) and prepare for a fight. Waves of guards will come out to attack you, and you'll need to beat them all. It's a battle of endurance, so you'll have to keep on your toes. Character tokens will also appear during this fight. Roy and Waluigi would be easy to use to win this game. See if you can beat it with characters like Wendy, Toadsworth, and Alboort.

Boss Battle

Cost: 10000 coins

Summary: Again, you can't play as Iggy, Ludwig, Star-Krossed, or most of the girls. Instead, you get to choose your character and face all the bosses from the game. The big bosses were rather generic, but the minibosses were too specialized to use in this mode. Create clashes that you think were better than the ones in the game, like Captain Syrup and Wario or Toadsworth against Bowser. There are no assist tokens this time, but you can get a friend to play co-op mode with you and give the bad guys double the trouble. Best this with a character and earn their trophy. Iggy's trophy is unlocked by winning with Roy, and Ludwig's is unlocked by winning with Wendy.

Star-Krossed's Star Tournament

Cost: Buy all the rest of the minigames (Star-Krossed can only be unlocked for play by earning his tournament)

Summary: Star-Krossed is back to hold a minigame tournament. Choose a team of three characters, and game will begin. The idea is to win two out of three against your friend in randomly selected minigames. Or, you may choose to play Superstar mode, in which you have to play against a computer in all the minigames, ranging Easy, Medium, Hard. Beat Superstar mode, and you unlock a music video. I don't really have any ideas what music videos. I'll leave that up for Nintendo to decide.

Other unlockables will be an array of trophies that you can purchase with the coins you earn. You can actually but characters in different poses than their initial trophy.

---

Um, yeah. This is just some more fun you can have after beating the game. I hoped you like them.

Anyways, in the next post, I'll be offering some idea for future fics.

Please enjoy and review.


	63. Future Ideas

Future Waluigi Ideas

Harvest Mario: Tale of Waluigi

Rating: E

Summary: This would be one of those Mario alternate universes, like Paper Mario or Super Mario RPG. Mario might be the the mayor of Toadstool Village, but you're playing as the ever lovable Waluigi. Wario will be your guide in the farming world (Didn't you know? Wario farms as a hobby). Waluigi might have been the suave egomaniac in the Master Thief, but he's more of the plant-loving egomaniac on his farm. Help the womanizer impress a wife and live his life. If making money with crops seems mundane, there are activities around Toadstool Village that you can always enjoy, and you can always grow a snippy little piranha plant to chase Wario around. Let's not forget the animals. Animals are always fun.

I'm afraid that, seeing how it would depend on the player for the story, I could only give in-depth descriptions of the gameplay.

Hand Maid Ashley

Rating: TV-Y7 to TV-14

Summary: Waluigi is a college student trying to work on his life dream of creating an artificial lifeform. He may be a bit of an egomaniac, but his even more prideful best friend and worst enemy Wario offers him a strange disc to enhance his programming career. He has trouble with the disc, and what looks like a possible virus somehow turns into an order form. Waluigi soon finds himself in the possession of a robotic maid doll named Ashley. Can he keep his sanity when more of these robotic dolls come into his life, Wario deciding to sabotage his life, and a relentless Mona who is trying to take Ashley away? This would take a while to think about, but all the chapters will be pretty long and entertaining.

Vacation Waluigi

Rating: TV-Y7 to TV-14

Summary: Waluigi is reduced in age from his afult life to early high school. His mother has home schooled him his entire life, so what would happen when his mother sends him to his aunt's beach resort for the summer? What if I mentioned that the only guests at the resort, besides Waluigi, were all girls? Watch as the shy, younger Waluigi learns to feign an ego to survive, only to be humbled by his new gang of female, over-social friends who seem to think about nothing but getting his attention. This is a completely original idea, so it would take a lot longer to create than anything else.

Waluigi Super Sluggers

Rating: K+ to T

Summary: Team Waluigi has had plenty of adventures, but now comes a completely new challenge. Can they come together to play baseball and compete in Baseball Kingdom. Loyalties make it so that the team needs to be reworked a bit, so what will the team look like? You'll just have to wait and see. This won't be a difficult story, but it may be a while before I start it.

---

So, tell me what you think if you like any of the ideas.

Later,

MasterofHearts1313


End file.
